


Babydoll

by sssaarrraaaaaa



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, BuckyBarnes - Freeform, Captain America - Freeform, CivilWar, Endgame, F/M, TheWinterSoldier, captainamerica - Freeform, sabrinacarpenter, steverogers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:35:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 58,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26285791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sssaarrraaaaaa/pseuds/sssaarrraaaaaa
Summary: "I didn't mean to fall in love with her, Steve. It just kinda happened."What if Cap had come out of the ice a decade earlier? Had a daughter in the process? Carissa hadn't been planned, certainly, and she had been a slight burden on The Captain America. When her mom died, he found himself being her primary caregiver. It scared him, to say the least. He was glad to have Nat and Tony to help with raising her. Now he had Tony to thank whenever she delivered a smart ass comment.Carissa Rogers didn't mean to fall for her dad's best friend, it just kinda happened. It wasn't long before Bucky starts to show an interest in the young Rogers girl. But the universe has a really colorful way of pulling them apart. Red, purple, blue, yellow green, and orange.
Relationships: Bucky Barnes girlfriend, Steve Rogers daughter - Relationship
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

Before the sun even had the chance to come up, Steve Rogers was out running. Daily. The super soldier also had no idea how to leave quietly, of course. Having given up on going back to sleep, Carissa had gotten dressed to wait for Natasha. She may only be 13, but she was always helpful to have around, or so her aunt Nat had always said. She taught Carissa as much as she'd figured she'd retain, promising to make her an even better assassin than Nat when she got older. There was already the promise of giving her a second gun when the time came. She didn't know what that meant, exactly. She assumed it was an age thing, not a maturity thing. She had hoped so. 

They had pulled up to pick up her dad. They saw him talking to another man. "Hey, fellas." Nat said. "Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil." 

Carissa laughed from her spot in the backseat. "That's hilarious." Her dad responded. 

"Duh." She replied. Sometimes she wondered if he really had a sense of humor. He was so uptight all the time. She knew he was Captain America and was supposed to be that way, but sometimes she wished he could just be her dad, not her security guard. 

The guy her dad had been talking to leaned down to see through the window, looking at Nat. "How you doing?" He'd asked her. 

She responded with a simple "Hey." before Steve turned back to him. "Can't run everywhere." He'd said, referring to the car. 

"No, you can't." He responded. 

And with that, they drove off. They had a mission to brief on. Riss had hated that part, the waiting. It got boring way too quickly. Later that night, she'd found herself in the jet above the Indian Ocean. This was what she'd been waiting for all day. She had strict orders to follow Natasha, set by her father. She had a gun placed in her thigh holster as she pulled her long, blonde hair out of its ponytail. It laid around her and her black catsuit like a blanket in soft waves. Natasha nodded, and smiled at her. She'd always called Carissa her mini-me, only blonde. She'd spent so much time grooming Riss to be like her, it was only fitting. She was almost an Avenger; Tony had told her. Almost. 

The adults talked about everything they needed to know and be prepared for as she just awaited her cue. Nat was told to kill the engines and await instructions. Those were the orders she was to follow as well. She stood behind Nat as she tried, once again, to set Steve up on a date. She failed every time, but she tried anyway. He hadn't been even thinking of seeing anyone in two years, since Riss's mom had died. 

"He'll never go for it, Tash." Riss told her. She shrugged and kept trying. "Too shy, or too scared?" She asked him. He raised his hands around him before pointing to Riss. "Too busy." He replied. He jumped out, lacking a parachute. 

"Idiot's gonna die before he goes on a date." She mumbled. Nat laughed. Leave her behind as an orphan, why don't you? 

"I'm sure you'll go on a date long before he ever does, Riss." She smiled and they jumped out, activating our parachutes. Why the hell would she do that? Nat tried again to suggest a date before she's told to secure the engine room first. "I'm multitasking." She defended, before launching herself over a railing to get down to the lower floor. Riss followed her lead. She didn't like the feeling of falling, but the railing wasn't that far up. 

Down the hallway, Nat stood behind a guy as he answered the phone. Riss stood a bit behind her, a few steps down the stairs she'd used to get up there. She heard footsteps coming as she begins to fight him off. With her hand on her gun, she waits. Nat wrapped her grapple rope around his neck and backflipped off the railing, him being the one thing that had stopped her from falling. Carissa pulled the grapple out of her pocket. She wrapped it around the railing before she followed Nat down. She pulled her gun out and aimed it at the guy ahead of us. Nat nodded and she pulled the trigger, a perfect shot just as she had been trained. The lifeless body fell to the ground. They continued to fall and shoot at everyone they came into contact with until they'd hit a platform. Nat took out the last two guys on a platform under them, and they were good to go. 

"What do you think about Rumlow?" Riss asked her suddenly. 

"I'm not interested." She responded. 

"Not romantically." 

She put a hand up before rushing up on a guy ahead of them. "Hang on!" She yelled into her earpiece. As she took the one down, another appeared. When both were out, she turned back to Carissa. 

"You were saying?" She asked. 

"He gives me the creeps." Riss told her. "I don't trust him." 

"Trust no one." Was all she said. Riss nodded. 

Does that include her? 

With something in mind to ponder later, she followed her into a room full of computers. "Tash, what are we doing?" 

She shushed her and went back to what she had been doing as the door busted down and Steve tumbled through. 

"Well, this is awkward." She said before turning back to the computer. Steve looked up at her then at Riss. She shrugged since she actually had no idea why she was even there. She was just following orders. Steve figured this out and turned back to Nat. "What are you doing?" He asked. 

"Backing up the hard drive. It's a good habit to get into." She said. He brushed past Riss and continued. 

"Rumlow needed your help." He told her. "What the hell are you doing here?" He looked up at the screens ahead of them before he continued. "You're saving S.H.I.E.L.D Intel." 

"Whatever I can get my hands on." She replied. 

"Our mission is to rescue hostages." He said. 

"No, that's your mission, and you've done it beautifully." She said, trying to walk away. 

Steve grabbed her. "You just jeopardized this whole operation." He said. 

She shook her head. "I think that's overstating things." 

There was a clatter in the corner, which made Carissa pull her gun out. The guy threw a grenade just as a shot rang out. She heard him grunt, which had made her smile. Steve grabbed Natasha and threw her into another room. Carissa made a face at him before she followed, jumping through the same window. 

"Okay. That ones on me." Nat said. 

"You're damn right." Steve said. Riss groaned before pulling herself up as best as she could. They'd landed on a lot of glass. He got up and walked out, motioning for Riss to follow. They got the hostages and left. 

S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters was a highly secured place. Probably the only place that had still continued to question her, no matter whose daughter she happened to be. Obviously, going there on the back of her dad's bike had not been ideal. He couldn't have a car? He had to have a motorcycle? Really? 

He stormed into Fury's office, immediately throwing accusations of lying, she had stayed a few paces behind. She had been enjoying the show. Fury denied ever lying, that Nat just had a different mission. 

"Which you didn't feel obliged to share." Dad said. 

"I'm not obliged to do anything." Fury responded, facing the window still. 

"Those hostages could've died, Nick." 

He finally turned his chair to face Steve. "I sent the greatest soldier I'm history to make sure that didn't happen." Now that his chair had been turned, he could see me. He eyed me suspiciously as my dad responded. 

"Soldiers trust each other. That's what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns." 

"My dad's the greatest soldier because he had the greatest team. The Howling Commandos are also to thank. Sergeant Bucky Barnes as well." She'd chimed in. She loved hearing the stories of her dad and Bucky, just as much as he loved telling them. She wished she had gotten to know him. Her dad smiled at what she had said. 

Fury stood before responding to Steve, not even acknowledging her. "Last time I trusted someone; I lost an eye. Look, I didn't want you doing anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything." 

Lost an eye, huh? 

"I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their own." 

"It's called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets, because nobody knows them all." Nick countered. 

"Except you." Dad said. 

She continued to watch the exchange between the men. She noticed how Fury still doesn't trust her, eyeing her every so often, sending her suspicious looks every once in a while. Does he really not trust her that much? 

They walked through an elevator as the panel on the side said Steve didn't have clearance for Project Insight. 

"Director override." Fury said. Riss went through the door next. 

"Carissa Carter Rogers does not have clearance for Project Insight." 

"Can she step out?" Fury asked my dad. 

"I would prefer if-" 

Fury shook his head. "I wasn't really asking." 

Steve sighed, sending her a look and she noded. She walked out of the room and down the hall, running into Rumlow. 

"Got kicked out?" He asked. She nodded. "Follow me." He said. 

She placed her right hand over the gun in her thigh holster, instantly comforted. She continued to follow Rumlow over to a vending machine. He put money in and handed her a pack of M&Ms. 

"Thanks." She said, opening the pack carefully. Something about Rumlow had always put her off, but she just couldn't place it. 

"You know, we have a lot of information on you and your dad." He said. "We know your favorite color, candy, everything. We even know about the little crush you seem to have on Sergeant James Barnes." 

"Bucky." She replied. 

Rumlow shrugs. Why did she say that? How would she feel if he had called him Bucky? She'd probably get pissed and she had known it. 

"Riss? Let's go." Steve called. 

"We even know all of your nicknames." Rumlow told me. She nodded, uncomfortable. Why was he telling her this? 

"Bye, Rumlow. Thanks for the M&Ms." 

"See you around, Riss." 

She followed her dad out to the bike. Her catsuit made squeaking sounds against the leather of the seat. 

They drove the familiar road to the Smithsonian. Her favorite thing to do with her dad, visit Bucky Barnes. 

They walked through, he remained silent as ever. They walked to where the information on Bucky sat. Finally, he spoke. "I heard a piece of the conversation you had with Rumlow." He told her. 

"It was weird." She replies. 

"Your crush on Bucky or the conversation?" He asked. 

"Both." She replied. 

Her dad laughed. She smiled at him before she turned back to face the video of her dad and Bucky. 

"He was my best friend." 

"I know, dad." She'd heard it a million times. 

"He would've loved you." 

That was something she'd never heard. 

"You think?" She asked. 

He nods. "Maybe not the way you do him," He smiled teasingly, "but he would've." 

She frowned slightly. 

What difference does it make? He's dead. 

Her dad had her sit through the video of Peggy Carter for the hundred millionth time. 

"Would you go back, dad? If you could? Live happily ever after with her?" As many times as she'd seen this, she'd never asked. 

He thought for a second. "If there was a way for me to have her and you, yes. But there isn't. There's no such thing as time travel and even if there were, it would erase you from existence." 

"I'm sure if there were such thing as time travel, Tony would be the one to figure it out." 

"You think so?" Dad asked. 

"Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist." She said. 

"In that order?" He asked, obviously amused. 

She shrugged. "Who knows." 

She sat in the corner of the room as her dad talked to Peggy. He loved spending time with her, especially after the Smithsonian. The video messed with him more than he'd let on. Carissa understood. Seeing the life he could've had with her couldn't be easy. It didn't take long for Peggy to forget he was there and be shocked all over again to see him. It'd broken her heart to see it, to see her dad in so much pain. He looked at her and Peggy followed his gaze. "Who's this beautiful girl?" Peggy asked again. She's asked that multiple times before. 

"My daughter, Carissa Carter." He said. 

"She has my name?" Peggy asked. She nodded. Then the nurse ushered us out. 

"I'm sorry, dad." 

He sighed and kissed my forehead. "Ice cream?" He asks. 

She shook her head. "Cheeseburgers." 

"You're so much like Tony it's not even funny." 

After getting burgers, she followed her dad down a hallway, into what looked like a support group, being spoken to by the guy from the park. She hadn't recognized the place or even the side of town they had been on. After the meeting, Steve walked over to him. They talked about problems from the war. She hung back a bit, allowing them to talk about their experiences in private. After a few minutes passed, she finally walked over. 

The guy looked at Steve. "What makes you happy?" He asked. 

"I don't know." Steve answered. 

"Hey!" Riss exclaimed. Steve smiled at her and so did the other guy. "You're the famous Carissa. I'm Sam." He said. 

"I'm famous?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her dad. They both laughed. 

"Can we do ice cream now?" Steve asked, just like a small child would've. "We already did burgers." 

"I guess." She said. She grabbed his arm and dragged him away from Sam. She turned back to wave before she continued to pull Steve away. 

She and Steve met their neighboring nurse as they walked up to their apartment, ice cream in hand. After their brief exchange, she told him she believed he left the stereo on. He thanked her before hesitating to unlock the door. "Stay here." He told Riss. She placed a hand on her gun as she waited. He decided to go around and she followed as they enter the apartment through a window. Fury sat in Steve's chair. He talked to him as she continued to hover her hand above her gun as she waited. He stood as guns go off, leaving holes in the wall. 

Riss's gun was up and aimed towards where the shots rang from. The nurse walked in and takes care of Fury. She had been an agent that whole time, assigned to watch them. They'd never known, but there was a lot the pair still hadn't known. 

"Tell them I'm in pursuit." Steve told her. He nodded at Riss and they jumped out of the window, chasing after the shooter. Thank god for the shield. Without it, no way in hell would they have been able to rush through so many glass walls and wood doors. A far jump through another window had put them face to face with the shooter. Steve rolled and stood seconds after she had stood to face him. She had waited for her orders. Dad threw the shield and he caught it with his metal arm. Riss's breath hitched as a chill ran down her spine. He threw it back and Steve caught it, sliding back a few feet. She took off towards him, Steve following close behind her. They reached the edge of the roof, seeing he's gone. Riss sighed, attempting to pull her dad back to the apartment. 

Natasha rushed into the hospital room as they watched through a glass while they operated on Fury. The beeping had started to indicate the life drained from him. Time of death, 1:03 a.m. She followed her dad out of the room and over to where Fury laid on the gurney. Tash wasn't handling it well; despite the front she'd put up. Riss put a hand on her shoulder as Steve came up behind them. She turned to walk away and Steve followed. 

Rumlow walked over, saying he's wanted back at S.H.I.E.L.D. Riss watched as he placed the drive Fury had handed him into the venting machine before going with Rumlow, her right behind. He walked up to Alexander Pierce before walking into his office. She walked in right behind him. She'd never liked Pierce. 

Pierce told Steve a story about Fury before he asked why he was there. Steve told him he didn't know and Pierce looked to Riss. She kept a straight face and he turned back to her dad. They moved on to talk about the Pirates and Nick orchestrating that. She looked back and forth between Pierce and her dad. 

What the hell was going on? 

Pierce asked Steve again why Fury was at the apartment. Steve told him Fury had said not to trust anyone. Technically, that had been his dying wish. 

"I wonder if that included him." Pierce said. 

That's what she had said about Tash. 

He told Pierce those were his last words before they walked away. Riss followed. Before they walked out, Pierce told him that if anyone gets in the way of him finding out what happened to Fury, they'd regret it. Riss and Steve shared a glance before they finally made their way down the hall. 

They walked down the hall and into the elevator. He told it where they wanted to go as Rumlow walked in. 

"Cap." He said. 

"Rumlow." He responded. Rumlow turned to me. 

"Riss." He said. She nodded in response. 

Steve looked at a guy with his hand on his gun as more enter. He looked to Riss and nodded. She hovered her hand over her holster, waiting. He shot the guy another worried look as the elevator stopped again. More guys enter. 

"Before we get started, does anyone wanna get out?" Steve asked. She removed her hand from her gun as a guy pulled out what looks like a long taser. He swung it at Steve and Riss kicked his hand away. A fight broke out in the elevator with Carissa and Steve in the dead center. The elevator stopped and they attempted to restrain Steve. Carissa attempted to intervene, but her small stature made it easy to just be picked up. They both had put up the best fight they could. Rumlow was the last standing, telling Steve this wasn't personal. Carissa sighed before drawing her fist back and connecting it with his nose. She'd wanted to do that for a while now. She looked over at Steve for him to finish him off. Once he's out, Steve sighs. 

"Kinda feels personal." He said. She agreed. 

Steve started the elevator again only to face more armed agents. He used the shield to disconnect the cord holding the elevator up. Carissa grips onto the bar desperately as she felt they had started to fall before the elevator stopped itself. He forced the door open, more agents heading their way. He looked out the window and thought for a second before pulling Riss behind him, putting him and the shield under her. He launched them both out the window and they landed hard on the floor before they were up and running. Attempting to escape, they hopped on the bike. A jet met them at the end of the bridge. 

"Ready?" Steve asked. 

"As I'll ever be." She told him, ready to stand. The jet started to shoot at them and he threw the shield. 

He hit the brakes and they both went flying onto the jet. He continued to destroy it before jumping down. Riss hesitates. Steve looked at her, holding his hand out in a silent promise to not let her fall. She sighed; she'd been falling this whole time. She finally gave in, launching herself off the jet.


	2. Chapter 2

Hoods up, they walk back down the hallway of the vending machine. Looking in, Steve sees the drive isn't there. Nat popped up behind the two, blowing a bubble with her gum. Steve turned around and pushed her into a room behind them. They go back and forth for a bit, nothing really catching Carissa's attention until she heard Natasha talk about who killed Fury. 

"...The Winter Soldier." She said. Carissa's head snapped up at the name. 

What an alias. 

"He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last 50 years." Nat said. Carissa's eyes widened. 

"So, he's a ghost story?" My dad asked. 

"Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out. By the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer so he shot him straight through me." 

"Holy shit." The girl mumbled to herself. They left there, needing more information. They couldn't be seen, not after what happened with S.H.I.E.L.D. They needed to hack their system but nowhere they'd be noticed. 

Really? The mall? She though. I mean, that was somewhere they could blend it but it was somewhere they could've gotten trapped. 

They walked through, hoods up, heads down. Seeing both Steve and Nat in normal clothes was odd to Riss. She'd only seen them suited up together, considering she wasn't around much back in the first few days. She didn't get to be there the night her dad had attempted to pick up Thor's hammer. She didn't get to be there when they were being real people. Carissa walked on the left side of her dad as they headed into a computer store. She and Steve kept look out as Nat went through the drive. An employee came over to ask if they needed any help and Nat covered with a 'Honeymoon Destination' story. As they walked out, Nat ordered Steve to put his arm around her and laugh at something she says. Carissa turned her head, as if she had been looking through a store window, covering her face with her hair. On the escalator, she spotted Rumlow. 

"Tash." She warned. Nat turned to face the blonde girl, who shot a look in the direction of Rumlow. She nodded, turning to face Steve. 

"Kiss me." She said. 

"What?" He asked. 

"Public displays of affection make people uncomfortable." She told him. 

"Yes, they do." He agreed. She pulled him to her and their lips connected. Carissa averted her attention away from them, as well as away from Rumlow. He passed right by and Nat pulled away from Steve. 

"You still uncomfortable?" She asked, smirking. 

"It's not exactly the word I would use." He responded, following her down the escalator. Riss followed closely behind, glad to have spotted him in time. You're welcome, guys. Really, it was no big deal. Carissa had thought to herself. 

Carissa sat in the back of the truck they were "borrowing" as Nat taunted her dad. 

"Was that your first kiss since 1945?" She asked. He sent her a look and pointed to the back seat. Carissa raised an eyebrow as Nat turned back to look at her. 

"Was that your first kiss since Carissa?" She rephrased the question. 

"That bad, huh?" He asked. Carissa stifled a laugh from the middle back seat. 

"I didn't say that." She said. 

They then continued to go on about different subjects until they'd gotten to their destination. Carissa hadn't known exactly where they were, having fallen asleep in the car. She almost always fell asleep in the car. 

They got out of the truck, being met with a gate. They walked around the camp. It was where Steve was trained, Carissa recognized it from the dozens of pictures she'd seen of him before the serum. She'd seen all he had of him and Bucky, back when they were nothing more than young kids in Brooklyn. It had begun to get dark out. Nat suggested the place was a dead end as Steve noticed a building out of place. They entered the building, surprised at what they had laid out in front of them. 

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D." Nat said. 

"Maybe where it started." Steve told her. 

They walked through some more, being met with pictures on the wall of, who Rissa could've only assumed, were the founders. 

"There's Stark's father." Nat said. 

"Howard." Steve told her. 

"Who's the girl?" Nat asked. 

Steve didn't say anything before walking away from her. 

"Agent Peggy Carter." Riss tells Nat. "She's where I got my middle name. She was also dad's first real crush." 

Nat didn't say anything before following after Steve. Riss continued to look at the picture of Peggy. Nat and Steve found a secret elevator, she stayed put. She pictured what kind of life her dad could've had with Peggy verses the one he's had now. He loved her just as much now as he did then. Even if he couldn't have Carissa, she wished he could go back to be with Peggy. He would've been happy then. It was obvious he wasn't. There was no way her dad could've had the dream life where he had both Carissa and Peggy, no matter how badly he'd wanted it. He couldn't have a different life either way. It wasn't possible. 

The sound of a door closing caught her attention. 

"Dad?" She screamed down the elevator shaft. 

"Riss? Get out of here! Go!" 

She took the orders, running as fast as she could back through the doors they'd entered. Just as she had escaped, the place went up in flames. 

"Dad!" She screamed. Then the helicopters came into view. She'd ducked, desperately looking for a way out. She panicked. 

"Carissa?" She turned around, face to face with her dad, who was carrying Natasha. She was panting from the sheer panic she had just faced. 

She must've fallen asleep on the way home, not remembering even getting in the truck. She couldn't remember any of what happened after she'd finally found her dad. When she'd woke up, she was in a house she didn't recognize. When she sat up, Natasha sat on the edge of the bed, drying her hair. Her dad sat in front of Nat. Riss looked around. Where are we? She'd wondered. She thought of all the places they could've gone, but there weren't any. They couldn't have gone to Tony, not this time. Carissa frowned. 

"If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, or hers," Nat gestured to Riss, "now you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?" 

Trust no one. Carissa thought, remembering the famous words of the assassin herself. Now she was asking if she could be trusted? Carissa was confused. 

"I would now." Steve said. "And I'm always honest." 

"Well, you seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing." 

"Well, guess I just like to know who I'm fighting." He replied. 

Sam walked in then. "I made breakfast. If you guys eat that sort of thing." She smiled, her question from before being answered. 

Carissa's stomach answered for her and Sam laughed. She jumped out of the bed and followed him into the kitchen. 

Steve and Nat try to piece everything together as Sam and Riss listen in. He dropped what he called his resumé in front of Steve. She eyed the folder herself as Steve sent Sam a look. 

"We could use the help, dad." 

Later, Carissa sat next to Sam as he made the call to Sitwell. Steve had taken her advice, realizing they did need the help. They couldn't really be showing their faces around S.H.I.E.L.D agents. Carissa was told to stay with Sam anyway, just in case things got out of hand. 

"The good-looking guy in the sunglasses, your ten o'clock." Sam said into the phone. 

Riss watched as idiot Sitwell looks at his 8. 

"Dumbass." She mumbled. 

Sam laughed slightly. "Your other ten o'clock." He said. "See the cute blonde?" He asked. 

Sitwell looked directly at him, then her. She flashed a smile 

"You're gonna go around a corner to your right. There's a gray car two spaces down. You, me and blondie here are gonna take a ride." 

She saw Sitwell cock his head to the side. 

"Because that tie looks really expensive, and I'd hate to mess it up." Sam said. 

Sitwell looked down to see the target on his chest. Riss smiled, knowing things were gonna go smoothly now. 

Not long after, she sat on the back of Sam's wings, awaiting cue. She heard Sitwell's scream, which was their cue. Sam flew to catch him and set him on the roof. He landed and she jumped down. 

Steve got the answers to Zola's algorithm and they were set to go. She sat between Nat and Sitwell in the backseat as he got ripped out of it. She didn't have time to process what had just happened as bullets went through the roof of the car. Nat pushed herself to the front to shield Sam and Steve. Parking brake is pulled, sending the shooter flying. Carissa attempted to catch her breath. 

"Dad." She whimpered. She'd never faced anything like that. Yeah, she's been shot at before but she always had a clear shot to fire back. 

"I know." He replied, his eyes meet hers in the car mirror. 

Shots continued to ring out. Steve yelled at them to hang on. Sam pulled Riss up as they all fell out, holding onto the door as the car flipped. Riss hated the feeling of falling. They'd had perfect timing, and scrambled to get up. The four had split up, all running for their lives. Carissa wasn't a fan of this. Nat used her grapple to get off the bridge. She followed. She took off down the street as the shooter jumped down, landing on the hood of a car. 

"Wow." Riss whispered to herself. "He fits the alias." She was momentarily stunned, not able to believe what she was looking at. One assassin against three Avengers, almost three, and a dude with wings. She had been impressed, but her pride would've never allowed her to admit it. 

She took off after him, running into her dad, who was taking a shooter down, as well as Sam. 

She pulled her gun out, not far behind the Winter Soldier. She was feeling a little better now that she could attempt at a clean shot. She watched as Nat's recording caught his attention and Nat attempted to take him down. She froze his metal arm up and took off. A shot rang out, which had hit her. Carissa returned the favor with shaky aim. He turned to her as Steve crashed into him. 

She observed the skills both possess. Her breathing stopped when the Winter Soldier took the shield. Steve didn't seem to be winning, but she was too caught up to help. Steve flipped him over his shoulder, which knocked the mask off. 

"Bucky?" They had both asked out loud. Neither could believing it. 

"Who the hell is Bucky?" He asked. 

Carissa turned to her dad. "He the hell is Bucky." She says. 

Sam flew down, knocking Bucky over. Carissa and Steve were frozen in place. Nat shot at him, which made Carissa and Steve both look back. When they had turned around, he was gone. In mere seconds, Riss and Steve were cuffed, as well as Nat and Sam. The blonde pair had their mouths hanging open, not able to believe what they had just gone through. Not only were they beat right now, but they had been beaten by Bucky. A chill ran down Carissa's back. 

"Rumlow." She whispered. 

"Riss." He replied. Of course, he's the one cuffing her. 

In the back of the van, they were all shackled. Carissa stared down at the floor. It had stung that he didn't know Steve. If he doesn't recognize him, how could he know her? She had known it was selfish, but that only stung. It had broken her fucking heart that he didn't know himself. 

"It was him. He looked right at me like he didn't even know me." 

"How is that even possible? It was, like, 70 years ago." Sam asked. 

"Zola." She replied, not shifting her gaze. 

"Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43. Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall." Steve finished. 

"But still lose his arm." She added. 

"They must've found him and..." 

"None of that's your fault, Steve." Nat said. 

"Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky." Steve said. 

Sam looked over at Nat before looking at the guard. He demanded a doctor. The guard flashed the taser at him before they reached over, taking the other guard out with it. Maria pulled the helmet off. 

"Oh, thank God." Riss mumbled. 

They exit out of the van as she leads them into a secret place. You never ask about secret places and you never talk about what they contain. Maria takes us back to Fury. 

"Holy shit." Riss mumbled, earning a glare from her dad. 

When Fury says he wasn't sure of who to trust, Natasha pulled a hurt expression. Carissa couldn't help but to glare at her. Nat had been the one to make her question everyone in the first place. Now she knew how Riss had felt when she had said that. She was gonna start pulling that exact facial expression. Trust no one, even the people you care about the most. Did she trust her dad? Did she not trust her dad? What the hell did she do? 

Trust no one. Absolutely no one. Except maybe the best friend who you watched fall off a train but is now coming back to life 70 years later. You can trust him, dad. Not your daughter, though. She wasn't bitter. Trust no one. 

The words on a repeat in her head, Natasha's voice, full volume. 

Trust no one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed :))


	3. Chapter 3

Carissa was still reeling over the fact Fury was alive as he sat in front of them. Honestly, none of them could believe it. They'd watched him die. Now Carissa watched as Fury talking to her dad, Nat and Sam. He trusted Sam, but not her? She remembered what she'd said before, about not questioning things. She thought about taking that all back. She had questioned this. A lot. 

They were talking about stopping the launch. She knew her orders. Follow Natasha. The mention of Barnes made her look up, but it had been over as soon as it had happened. The young assassin shook his name out of her head. She knew what happened when they were distracted. Fury told Steve that he was giving the orders. It was backwards, to say the least but Carissa knew what she had to do. Follow Natasha was all that was supposed to matter to her. That was all she'd been trained to care about. Where's her dad? Who gives a shit? She needed to follow Tash. 

She stood behind her dad on the old bridge as he got that far away look in his eye. He's thinking about Bucky, she knew that face. So was she, but he had actual memories. She had only known what the Smithsonian had told her about him, but her dad had real memories. She had the stories Steve had told her about him and her dad had lived through those stories. She hadn't thought it was fair. 

She followed her dad off the bridge. It hadn't been time for her to follow any orders yet, so she went with him. Next thing she know, they were standing before the Smithsonian. They entered, Carissa laughing to herself slightly. Funny how she had just been thinking about it. Fitting. Before she knew it, her dad was covered top to bottom in red, white and blue, leaving behind a naked mannequin. She smiled, more amused than anything. She always hated his original suit, so the smile was more mocking. She raised an eyebrow to match. She had loved this. 

If there was anyway Bucky would recognize Steve, it would be due to that suit. Unfortunate, but true. Bucky recognized, maybe even preferred it, but it wasn't a great suit for him. It wasn't a great look for him. It brought back the ideals of what it had been created for 70 years ago. He only had the upgrades because he needed them. Fit in with the times, grandpa. 

"You're not following Natasha." Steve told her as they waited in the control room. "Follow me." 

"What?" She asked. They never deviated from the plan, afraid of getting sloppy. Plans were well thought out before hand for this exact reason. He didn't answer, he just walked off. She'd never gotten that order before, but something told her this may be her new normal. 

A man opened the door, a shocked expression crossed his face as he came face to face with Captain America with Sam, Maria and Carissa all pointing their guns at him. 

"Excuse us." Steve said. The guy raised his arms in surrender. 

They made their way to the intercom. "Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D agents, this is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The S.T.R.I.K.E. and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want. Absolute control. They shot Nick Fury. And it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it." 

"You're not the only one, dad." Carissa had interjected. 

He smiled before finishing. "But I'm willing to bet I'm not." 

Sam took a step forward. "Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" 

Carissa laughed at his comment. "He definitely reverses." She told Sam. She could hear gunshots erupting from all around them as she waited for further instructions. She ran out with Steve and Sam. Follow Steve was her mission. 

"Hey Cap, how will we know the good guys from the bad?" He asked. 

"If they're shooting at you, they're bad." 

Carissa made a face at Steve, who just shrugged in response. How else was he supposed to answer that? That's a great way to tell the difference. Carissa just hoped they would all be fast enough to tell the good from the bad. Sam powered up his wings, flying off the side of the cliff. Steve and Carissa both jumped. They both landed, rolled, and continued running. More acrobatics were involved as they avoided getting shot. Carissa's core was burning, muscles screaming. No matter how often they did this, they didn't get used to it. 

She heard her dad ask Sam if he's okay and her heart stopped. Steve nodded at the girl and she knew he was okay. Her breathing returns to normal as her heart started again. Holding her breath had caused a whole new level of burning to coarse through her body. She pulled her gun out of her holster. One thing you desperately tried to avoid in this line of work: don't get attached to anyone. That was the girl's weakness. Getting attached. 

"Dad?" She asked for permission. 

"Fire at them all, sweetheart." 

She did as was told, firing at whoever fired at her. Steve ran ahead of her, taking out who he could with the shield alone. They ran onto the helicarrier, he did what he needed to as she waited, standing guard. He nodded at her and she followed as they ran back out. Steve told Sam he's gonna need a ride as they ran out. 

Sam grabbed her and Steve. He set them down and walked with them on the roof of the building. 

"You're a lot heavier than you look." Sam told Steve. 

"I had a big breakfast." He replied. 

The Winter Soldier pushed Steve off the side of the helicarrier out of nowhere. He'd sat there, waiting for any opportunity he came across. Sam jumped to his rescue, but Winter grabbed his wings, pulling him back. He shot at him as he just rolled away. Carissa shot at him, prompting him to grab her and throw the small girl at Sam before throwing both of them off the edge. Sam screamed as she just held her breath. He pulled out a parachute and they landed, he immediately asked Steve if he was okay. After a few seconds he looks at her. She furrowed her eyebrows, only able to her Sam's side of the conversation. She wished she had an earpiece, too. 

"I'm grounded. The suit's down. Sorry, Cap." A few more seconds passed. "She's fine. Looks a little paler than usual." He said to Steve. Steve said something she couldn't hear before Sam looked at her again. 

"Not afraid of HYDRA or the Winter Soldier, but you're afraid of heights?" He taunted. 

"Nobody's afraid of heights. They're afraid of the fall. I am very much not fond of falling." She responded. "What now? I have orders to follow my dad." 

"I'm on it." He said into his earpiece. "You come with me." He told her. 

As per usual, she did as she'd told and followed him back into headquarters, her gun in her hand. They move their way through the floors. They get to floor 41. Sam waited, standing behind the door. She hid under a desk as Rumlow walked in. She hated this Rumlow guy, always had. She's just glad it was finally being justified. Sam surprised him, but Rumlow quickly put him down. 

"This is gonna hurt." He said. "There are no prisoners with HYDRA. Just order. And order only comes through pain. You ready for yours?" Rumlow asked. 

"Man, shut the hell up." Sam said. Carissa took that as her cue, jumping onto Rumlow's back to stall him. It didn't work. He threw her off of him and onto a table. A small squeak erupted from the girl. 

"Sorry, Riss. Nothing personal." Rumlow said. She'd heard that line before and just like that time, this felt personal. 

"Man, shut the hell up." She said, quoting Sam. Rumlow turned back to Sam, both taking a step towards the other, fists raised. 

Meanwhile, she realized she couldn't move her arm. She slowly slid off the table, attempting to aim her gun in her right hand, her dominant hand down for the count as of right now, thanks to Rumlow. Her right arm shakes as she aimed for Rumlow's abdomen. Nothing lethal, just to stall. Well, if he got seen fast enough it won't be lethal. 

As she pulled on the trigger; she realized how off her aim really was. The bullet barely grazed his left thigh. 

"Damn it." She whispered. She closed her left eye and tried again, careful not to hit Sam. From how much they were moving, it would've been extremely difficult not to. Then a helicarrier started breaking through the building. Literally through the building. Shattered glass came hurdling toward them as the building crumbled. Sam and Carissa started running. He relayed their location to Nat as they both jumped out the window. Natasha grabbed Sam as he grabbed Riss by her left arm. She screamed as the pain ran through to her elbow. 

"It's broken." Natasha told him. That explained why she couldn't move it. 

"Rumlow threw her across a room. She shot him in the thigh in return." Sam told her. 

"I was aiming for his abdomen." The girl told them. Nat smiled. 

"That's my girl." She said. 

They find Steve all bloody beside a body of water. Both Steve and Carissa admitted to the hospital, despite the fight the girl put up. Sam sat with him, playing music on the table beside her chair. Her arm wrapped in a cast, already itchy. This is gonna be fantastic. 

He opened his eyes and turns to Sam. "On your left." 

Sam and Riss both smiled. Steve turned to her and looked at my her, a concerned look crossed over his face. She looked at Sam. 

"You love telling the story, so go ahead." She told Sam. 

"It was crazy, man. Rumlow starts talking and I tell him to shut the hell up so this crazy girl jumps on his back to give me a bit of an advantage, which doesn't work out considering Rumlow threw her across a room and broke her arm. But don't think that stopped her because little blondie put her gun in her right hand and grazed his thigh, which helped slightly." Sam was all excited. Too excited. He didn't know what was to come, none of them did as they sat in that hospital. 

"I was aiming for his abdomen." 

Steve smiled. "That's my girl." He said. 

The three of them stand next to Fury as they look at his headstone. It felt weird, not questioning. She wondered who or what they had buried. They talked about business, as usual. Fury said he's heading to Europe and asked Steve to join. Europe? She'd always wanted to see Europe. 

"There's something I gotta do first." He said. Carissa nodded, knowing what that meant. That meant they had something to do first. 

Fury asked Sam. He declined. Fury shook both of their hands and looked at the girl. He sighed before offering her his hand. She smiled, taking his hand. Fury didn't smile back, which she had expected, but he nodded at her. That was good enough. 

Dad spotted Nat and walked to her. They talked; the girl waited. Sam walked over and she followed. 

"You're going after him." Sam said. 

"You don't have to come with me." Dad replied. 

"I know." He said. "When do we start?" 

She smiled at him then her dad. 

We start now.


	4. chapter 4

It'd been two years since they'd seen Bucky. Two years since they took down HYDRA in S.H.I.E.L.D. and two years since Carissa had proven Fury could trust her. That was Riss's biggest accomplishment, thought she hadn't seen him since. Things were mellowed out since their last mission. Also, two years since Rumlow broken my arm, it's all healed now. But Bucky...Two years since they'd seen him. That hurt the young girl, of course. 

Now that she was older, 15, going on 16, she could be trusted with more difficult things. She finally got her own earpiece and a second holster. 'Difficult'. She'd also learned how to shoot with her non-dominant hand in case that ever happened again. Anything broken or any inconvenience could be routed around now. 

Both made the mission they were currently on much easier as she sat across from Wanda in little cafe in Lagos. She had a baseball cap on and her red-brown hair down. Riss sat with a pair of sunglasses on with her blonde hair laying around her in soft waves. They'd both raised their mugs to cover their conversation. 

"Alright, what do you see?" Steve's voice carried through the earpiece. 

"Standard street cops." Wanda said. "Small station." 

"Quiet street." Carissa told him. 

"It's a good target." Wanda added. 

"There's an ATM on the south corner, which means?" He asked. 

"Cameras." The girls both replied at the same time. 

"Both cross streets are one-way." He said. 

"Compromised escape routes." They both said again. 

"Means our guy doesn't care about being seen." Steve said. "He isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out. You see that range Rover halfway up the block?" 

"Yeah, the red one?" Wanda asked. 

"It's cute." Carissa commented. Wanda smiled behind her white mug. 

Natasha cut in. "It's also bulletproofed which means private security which means more guns which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us." She sat in the open with her own pair of sunglasses on. Her mug is a darker color than what the other two had. 

"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?" 

"Very cool, by the way." Carissa told Wanda. 

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature." Nat said. Carissa nodded at her, behind Wanda. 

Wanda looked over her shoulder at Nat as Sam cuts in. 

"Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?" He asked. Carissa smirked in response. 

"Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?" She asked. 

Riss laughed. "Nobody in their right minds would say that to your face, Tash." 

"Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months, I don't want to lose him." Dad said. 

Carissa's stomach dropped at the mention as her arm tingled slightly. Wanda noticed, shooting her a concerned look. Carissa looked back at her, attempting to convey an expression that read she was fine. 

"If he sees us coming, that won't be a problem. He kinda hates us." Sam said. 

Carissa scoffed into the earpiece. "Kinda?" She asked. 

"Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it." Steve ordered. 

"That truck's loaded for max weight. And the driver's armed." Sam replied. 

"It's a battering ram." Nat said. 

"Go now." Steve orders. 

"What?" Wanda asked. 

"He's not hitting the police." Dad said. 

Sam was through the air before the rest of them could process. Riss was up, out in the streets and ready. A quick flash of red and she knew Sam had her. In a matter of minutes, they had Steve, too. The blonde pair jumped down to the Institute of Infectious Disease, taking out everyone they could. The daylight here was bright, Riss didn't care for it much. She didn't care for sunlight in general. She was raised in the heart of Brooklyn, polluted air filtering out the New York sunlight. She really raised hell when her dad picked her up, moving her to D.C. The sunlight had seemed brighter there. 

"Body armor. AR-15s. Carissa and I make seven hostiles." Steve said. 

"I make five." Sam said. 

"Four." He said, seconds later. 

"Dropping like flies." Riss mumbled. 

"Rumlow's on the third floor." Sam said. 

"Wanda, just like we practiced." Dad said to the girl. 

"What about the gas?" She asked. 

"Get it out." He replied. 

"Don't put too much pressure on her." Carissa reminded him. 

She watched her lift Steve into the building in awe. Carissa had found it amazing how she did that. 

"Wanda." She called. She gets the hint and does the same for Riss. She followed, not far behind her dad, a gun in each hand. She heard the grunts of fights from all around her, in front of her as well as through the earpiece. 

Steve heard the explosion as Riss did. The pair both ran to the same balcony as it's shot down, sending both to the ground. Carissa still hated the feeling of falling. 

"Ow." She mumbled. 

She and Steve were up, following Sam. Steve beats her to the center of town. As she tries to catch up to the super-soldier, he gets thrown through a stand. She pulled out her guns, going around the stand to remain unnoticed, but the guy was covered in armor. Rumlow. He continued to throw punches at her dad. This made it a little more complicated. She ran the risk of any shot ricocheting off of him either at herself or her dad. She doesn't like the odds. 

"Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky." Her head snapped up at the name. She knew two years ago and it's just been confirmed. She didn't like the way Rumlow said Bucky's name. 

Bucky. 

The sound of an explosion pulled her from her thoughts. 

"Holy shit." She mumbled. "Wanda?" She called. 

Wanda frowns at the young girl. Riss furrowed her eyebrows at her before looking up at the building. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened. This wasn't going to be good, for any of us. Her heart broke at the sound of screams as her dad's breaking voice called Sam for fire rescue. 

It's going to be okay, Wan. Riss told her. 

Wanda sent her a skeptical look. 

I know. 

It's not okay, Riss. Wanda replied. 

Riss frowned at her, but she was right. It was her fault. And they were all about to pay for her mistake. All of them, even those of them who weren't there. Riss dreaded the words they'd hear from Tony. 

Back at the tower, Steve sat and watched the news about Lagos as Carissa stood being the couch. She wanted to check on Wanda, but decided to give her space. He shut the TV off, making the pair hear Wanda's TV from downstairs. 

"Stay here." He told Riss as he walked to Wanda's room. 

Carissa sat on the couch, waiting when Tony's car pulled up. The feeling of dread flooded her again. He walked in with someone she didn't recognize. 

"Five years ago, I had a heart attack and dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me. Perspective. The world owes the Avengers and unplayable debt. You have fought for us...protected us, risked your lives...but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word 'vigilantes'." 

"What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Nat asked. 

"How about dangerous?" He responded. "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?" 

"Dangerous is a strong word. Reckless?" Riss asked. Her dad glared at her. "Try saving the damn world." 

Mr. Secretary pulled up examples. "New York. Washington D.C., Sokovia, Lagos." 

"Okay. That's enough." Steve said, seeing Wanda. 

"For the last four years you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's and arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution. The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel only when and if that panel deems it necessary." 

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place." Steve argued. "I feel we've done that." 

"Your feelings are correct. We've done that." Carissa agreed. Steve glared at her again. She didn't care right now. The Avengers were getting really bad backlash and she was an Avenger, just like everyone else in this room. 

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of megaton nukes you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground." 

"So, there are contingencies." Rhodes said. 

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over." 

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Nat asked. 

"Then you retire." 

Carissa looked over at her dad, who was looking at the table. They were fucked, all of them. This was Carissa's whole life, all she knew. This was all Tony knew, the only family Natasha and Wanda had. This was all her dad had. 

He read through the Accords as Rhodey and Sam argued. 

"So, let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam asked. 

"I have an equation." Vision said. 

"Oh, this will clear it up." Sam said. 

"Be nice." Riss sharply told Sam. 

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. During the same period the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate." He said. 

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asked. 

"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe." 

"It's our damn fault." Carissa said, placing her hands on the end of the arm rest to push herself up before walking over to join Sam and Rhodey. Vision continued. 

"Oversight...Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand." 

"Boom." Rhodey said to Sam. The girl shook her head at the two. 

"Tony," Nat started, "You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal." 

"It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve said. 

"So have you." Carissa countered. 

"Boy, you know me so well." Tony replied. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort." He grabbed a mug. "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" 

"Wouldn't be so clean if you were." Carissa replied. 

He smiled at her before reaching into his pocket. A picture pops up in front of him and he sighed. 

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where. Sokovia." 

"I was gonna guess Lagos." Riss mumbled to the quiet room. She knew from the beginning it was going to be a lesson, just wasn't sure who it was directed at. Turned out he wasn't attacking Wanda; it was directed at all of them. Lectures from Tony were relatively rare, considering how carefree the man actually could be. The only one he really ever had to lecture was Steve. Steve and Nat both send the girl disapproving looks, but Tony smiled. Tony, no matter what she said or how dumb it was, always at least smiled. Sometimes he would verbally reply, but by the very least, she got a smile. It was refreshing compared to the disapproving looks she would receive. She assumed that was why he did it. 

"He wanted to make a difference I suppose, but we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." Tony took a sip of his coffee. "There's no decision-making process here. Imagine if that was Carissa. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys." 

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." Steve said. 

"Who said we're giving up?" 

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame." Steve said. 

"I'm sorry, Steve. That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Counsel, It's not S.H.I.E.L.D. it's not HYDRA." Rhodey cut in. 

"No, but it's run by people with agendas and agendas change." Steve argued. 

"Like yours when you found out Bucky was alive?" Riss asked. 

"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing." Tony said. 

"Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere, we don't think we should go? What if there's somewhere we need to go and they don't let us?" Steve asked. 

"You'll be looking at way more casualties than we've ever caused. But maybe we're at a point where we don't deserve to choose, dad." Carissa answered. 

"We may not be perfect but the safest hands are still our own." Steve agreed. 

"Maybe." She countered. 

"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later." Tony argued. 

"Later." Carissa pointed out. 

"That's the fact. That won't be pretty." Tony said. 

"You're saying they'll come for me?" Wanda asked. 

"We would protect you." Vision reassured her. 

"What we?" Carissa asked. "There won't be a 'we' if we're forced to retire." 

"Maybe Tony's right." Nat cut in. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off..." 

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam asked. 

"I'm just reading the terrain." Nat responded. "We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back." 

"Why do we have to win it? Aliens come back down and attack New York again what the fuck are they gonna do? Call the Ghostbusters? I don't think so." Carissa countered. Sam laughed next to her. 

"The little girl's making a lot of sense. Why is she always hidden in the back?" Sam asked. 

"Glad someone hears me." She mumbled. 

"I listen." Tony responded. "Focus up. I'm sorry. Did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?" Tony asked Nat. 

"I want to take it back now." Nat said. 

"No, you can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay. Case closed. I win." Tony said. 

"I don't know if the public realizes this but they aren't the only ones who've had to face family casualties. And just like in their case, there was nothing we could actually do." Riss snapped. 

"I have to go." Steve said after looking at his phone. He gets up and walks out. Carissa gathers herself before she looked to Sam, following her dad down the stairs. He stopped, covering his face. 

"Dad?" She asked. He sniffled in response. 

Peggy. 

It had to be Peggy. 

They don't even hesitate to fly to London and her thoughts were confirmed. Steve had lost the last piece of his past. Well, more or less. 

The blonde girl sat in front as he carried her casket down the aisle. Sharon delivered a nice speech about her Aunt Peggy. Sam sat next to Riss as Steve sat next to her on the other side. After everyone left, Steve stayed behind. 

"Go ahead with Sam. Go get some lunch, I'll meet you guys later." Steve said. She nodded and hugged him. 

"I'm so sorry, dad." 

He kissed her forehead before he released her. She slipped out the doors, meeting Sam outside. 

The signing of the Accords took place in Vienna. Already signed by Tony, Vision and Rhodey, Nat took her place in following them. Wanda, to be determined. Steve, Sam and Riss were more stubborn than that. 

Or reckless. Take your pick. She could see both sides of the argument, but the last thing she ever wanted was to be tied down. 

She followed Sam to the elevator to find Steve to show him the news. This wasn't any prettier than what they'd seen before. 

"Identified as James Buchanan Barnes." 

As always, the girl's head snapped up at the name. The Winter Soldier. 

Sunglasses and caps. That's the best team Cap did for disguises. Unless you're Carissa and you refuse to put a baseball cap over your freshly done hair. And that was what she and Sam wore as they waited for her dad in the cafe. Sharon showed up and slide a file towards Steve before leaving. Riss pushed the glasses higher up her nose and ran a hand through her long hair falling in waves around her. Her face hid behind it well enough to where she didn't need the glasses unless you were looking directly at her. 

She and Steve entered the apartment Bucky had been staying at. He had a look around as she kept a hand on her left holster. When they turned away from the fridge, he was there. 

"Do you know me?" Steve asked Bucky. 

"You're Steve. I read about you in a museum." He answered. 

"Funny. That's how I know you." Riss replied. Nobody laughed. 

"I know you're nervous and you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying." Steve said. 

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore." Bucky replied. 

"I believe him." Carissa confessed. He was telling the truth; she could just tell. 

"Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive. 

"That's smart." Bucky stared. "Good strategy." Carissa resisted the urge to glare at him for that. 

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck." Steve told him. 

"It always ends in a fight." Bucky said. He sounded tired. Bucky was tired. He was tired of running, tire of hiding. Tired of the fact that he couldn't even stop to but plums, which was where he had been when he'd spotted the newspaper. He met the eyes of the girl, sadness reflecting in them. 

"You pulled me from the river. Why?" Steve asked. 

"I don't know." 

"Yes, you do." Steve argued. 

"Not the time for this." Riss interjected. 

As she said that, a bomb got thrown through the window. Bucky kicked it to Steve, who covered it with the shield. Riss pull both guns out, pointed to the door. Bucky grabbed the mattress and pulled her by the arm into him. Shots rang out and he threw the mattress into the wall. Using his metal arm, he threw a table into the doorway. People started jumping through the window and Riss froze. She had no orders. Bucky started throwing punches. 

Ditch the guns. That's all she could think to do. 

She pocketed the guns as Steve told Bucky to stop. 

"You're gonna kill someone." He said. 

"Not if they kill him first." She commented. 

"I'm not gonna kill anyone." He said after putting Steve down and punching a hole in the floor. He grabbed a backpack out of the hole. He threw it out the window as more shots were fired. Steve pulls Bucky behind the shield as Bucky grabbed her, placing her behind him. It was one big train behind the tiny shield. 

He threw Steve out the window at one of the shooters and grabbed Riss by the arm as he pulled her along down the hallway, stopping the bullet with his metal hand. He threw a cinder block at the guy and turned around to face the girl. He stared into her piercing blue eyes for a second before shots are heard at the door. His fist went through the door with little effort. The door fell making Bucky and Carissa come face to face with a sea of people who want him dead, and her now that she was made an accomplice of sorts. With three already down, another came in from the ceiling. Four down. Five. Six, seven, eight. Nine. Then Steve swooped in. Ten. Eleven. 

Wow. It was hard not to be impressed with the assassin in front of her. The flashbacks of him shooting at her and her dad came back. 

You should be afraid of him. 

But she wasn't. 

Twelve. She watched in awe as he ripped the railing out of the ground to get to the lower floor faster. She should've been afraid of him. Thirteen. Fourteen. He jumped over the railing, falling several stories down before he caught himself. She was too busy being absolutely mesmerized. Then he ran down the hallway and jumped out the window. She was left only two stories behind him. Her arm still tingled from where he'd held her in place, directly behind him. When she hit the hallway, she braced herself. Running, running, running, jump. She was impressed with herself, too. Just not as impressed with her as she had been with him. She hit the building a little hard, but rolled and stood. He was grabbing his bag just as she was standing. He took off as a shadow passed over her, stopping him. Oh, great. Company. A black cat suit stood in front of her. Not a cat-suit, all black of a light, flexible material like she was wearing, but a literal cat suit. Ears and all. She was disappointed when she didn't see a tail. They started going at each other and she took the opportunity to catch up to them. She realized her small frame wouldn't be able to just jump on him, so she jumped onto a ventilation system for leverage and onto the back of the cat guy. Obviously, that's her favorite form of distraction. And obviously it ended the same way as last time, except her arm didn't break. She had just gotten flung. Surprisingly, this only distracted Bucky, making the cat guy get a hit in. He couldn't figure out why he cared about what happened to the blonde. The cat guy wasn't even phased by her. She scrambled to get up, more than happy to see, or feel, that nothing was broken. Bucky held his claws away from his face as Sam swooped down to get him. She watched, afraid Bucky would slip up and allow the claws to dig into his sculpted face and was beyond relieved at Sam's arrival. Bucky spared a moment that he didn't actually have to look at her before jumping and running. Steve grabbed her quickly and jumped off the roof, putting the shield under us. No words were spoken but she had almost laughed at the Deja vu. 

"Look familiar?" She asked. 

He shakes his head in disapproval. He didn't find her funny. He's never once found her funny, or at least not in these ironic situations. Tony would've appreciated that. She wished Tony was around more. She needed someone who was proud even when she fucked up. They hit the ground, rolling off the shield before taking off after Bucky. They watched as Bucky hurled himself off of more building tops. Great. More jumping. 

Slowly starting to become the story of the young girl's life.


	5. Chapter 5

Carissa followed her dad as they jumped down and in front of cars in pursuit of Bucky., chasing Bucky once again. The cat dude behind me, but not for long, luckily.

"Stand down!" Yelled a voice from the car that was now behind Riss. Steve stopped, throwing himself onto the windshield. She didn't think that's what the stranger had meant, Steve. He pulled out the driver and motioned for her to get into the passenger's seat. The pair weren't really ones for subtlety. She climbed into the stranger's car, after her dad. Steve whipped past other cars, passing Mr. Kitty. Carissa liked that. To her, he's Mr. Kitty now. A loud bang was heard from above her, instantly pissing the girl off. 

"Mr. Kitty's on the car, dad." Carissa said in a bitter tone. 

"Son of a gun." He replied. 

"Bitch." The girl corrected. He took a moment to make a face at her, but didn't bother to say anything. 

Steve made sharp turns but nothing worked. All it did was throw Carissa around the car as the Kitty held on for dear life. She wondered if there'd be cat scratches on the top of the car, maybe even paw prints. She fought the urge to laugh. 

"Sam, I can't shake this guy." He said into the earpiece. Obviously. We'd been trying. Maybe Sam would notice if there were cat scratches. She made a mental note to ask him later in a more appropriate setting. She could already see the disappointed face her dad would've made had she asked that now. 

Blue blinking lights ahead of them had indicated police. She started panicking slightly, remembering the last time she'd been cuffed. Rumlow. She would never admit the trauma the man had inflicted on her. 

"Dad?" She whimpered from the passenger's seat. 

He made a sharp turn, crossing over to the other side to follow Bucky all while avoiding the police cars. Carissa held her breath as a motorcycle sped towards Bucky. The light reflecting off his metal arm had held her attention as he literally pulled the bike out from under the man driving it, pushing him off. What is it with these men and violently taking vehicles? He whipped it around him in the air before he pulled it back down to the street, him landing on top of it. She released the breath burning in her lungs. 

Another breath sucked its way in and was held captive as Mr. Kitty caught up to Buck. If the car didn't have scratches, the girl was sure Bucky was about to. The sparks created by the contact of the metal arm and the concrete of the street made her want to look away, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Bucky finally threw him off, bringing the bike back up. They must really like throwing people. Fine print of the job. Sign here, be an Avenger. P.S. must be willing to throw people like ragdolls, children included. 

"Breathe, Carissa." Steve whispered to the girl. 

The end of the tunnel began to collapse before their eyes. She shook her head at her father. 

"Unbuckle." Steve told her and she complied, without hesitation. He opened his door and she jumped out after him. If you weren't throwing other people, you were throwing yourself. The car flipped over behind her, but she had barely even noticed. All she could think about was reaching him, making sure he was okay. Steve came into contact with Mr. Kitty first, bringing him to the ground. She tore her eyes away from him to be met with light blue ones. He looked at her for a second before finally getting up. Steve held eye contact with the cat. Carissa looked after Bucky as he made his way to her dad's side. She was relieved they weren't cuffed. She didn't want to be cuffed. Rhodey dropped in as they begin to get surrounded. All amounts of hope she had gone out the window. Or door. Car door, like that one guy. 

"Stand down, now." He ordered them. Guns were pointed at them all around the panicked young blonde. Steve slid the shield behind his back and raised his hands. Bucky and Carissa both kept their hands at their sides. The more stubborn of the trio, for sure. 

"Congratulations, Cap. Cap Jr. You're criminals." Rhodey said. Oh, great. Criminal record at 15. Nice. 

Guns were lowered as guys walked over to Bucky, forcing him down. She thought this was worse than being cuffed herself. Steve's arms were forced behind his back, then her own. Never mind. She hated this part just as much. She heard the tightening of the cuffs behind her as Mr. Kitty removed his mask. 

"Your Highness." Rhodey said. 

You've got to be fucking kidding. She'd been calling the king Mr. Kitty this entire time. Fitting. It's staying. 

A strangled grunt came from Bucky on the ground. The girl flinched at the sound. 

"You're hurting him." She whimpered. Confused blue eyes looked up at hers. She pulled a confused face of her own in return. 

They were loaded up in a transportation truck that had separated seating. Steve and the King in the front row of seats, Carissa and Sam in the back, fencing between each row. All she could think about was Bucky. Separate seating for them but completely separate truck for Bucky. Bucky thought about her, too. Why did she care about what happened to him? Why did it matter so much to her? Why did it matter to Steve? Who the hell was she, anyway? 

Strapped down to the seat of an enclosed cell, Bucky's eyes met Carissa's. She frowned and he furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't like the sadness taking over her features. She followed behind her dad and watched as he turned around to look at Bucky, too. Bucky knew Steve was looking at him, but he didn't care. His focus was on the young blonde girl that seemed to be everywhere. Who the hell was she? They held painful eye contact. The doors shut, neither of them looking away. They walked down a hallway made mostly of windows. Berlin was beautiful, but it had nothing on Bucky's eyes. The color of the sky to match hers, the color(s) of the ocean. His baby blue with an icy finish to match the blue-grey-green-brown intermixing of her own. The earth and the sky. It was fitting, perfect, meant to be. 

The sounds of Tony's voiced pulled the girl out of her head. That was usually how it was. 

"Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup." He said into the phone. "Consequences? You bet there will be consequences. Obviously, you can quote me on that, because I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir." 

Steve wasn't getting the shield back just as Sam wasn't getting his wings back. Riss, technically, didn't have anything they could take. Or at least she didn't think she did until she realized her thigh was lighter than usual. 

"Tony!" She snapped. 

"Sorry, cupcake. You can't have guns at 15." He replied, shrugging. She frowned. He turned away from her, knowing that any pouting she did would work in her favor. 9 times out of 10 Tony was putty in the girl's hands and she knew it. 

Steve and Carissa stood there at the monitor, watching Bucky. Her heart sank at the interrogation. She wanted to be there with him. She desperately wanted to get them all the fuck out of there. 

"Hey, you wanna see something cool?" Tony asked. "I pulled something from dad's archives." He told Steve. Steve turned to face him as Riss continued watching Bucky. Tony threw his jacket onto the table in front of her. Steve asks about Pepper. 

"We're kinda...Well, not kinda..." Tony starts. 

"Pregnant?" Dad asked. 

"If you're pregnant, you should name it Morgan." The blonde added. "I wish that were my name." She finished off, glaring at Steve. 

"No. Definitely not. We're taking a break." Tony said. "It's nobody's fault." 

Without turning away from the monitor, the girl placed a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her off before coming to stand next to her for a second, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He released her and grabbed his jacket. He continued to talk to Steve. 

"We need you, Cap. Both of you." He said. 

Before she even knew it, they were yelling about Wanda. From needing each other, to screaming at each other. Married couple. 

"She's a kid!" Steve yelled. 

So was Carissa. She didn't see anyone trying to protect the remaining years of her childhood. 

"Give me a break!" Tony yelled. 

He deserved one. Everyone knew that. Tony was the backbone of this whole operation. 

Steve walked out of the room, leaving me and Tony. 

"So, what's the deal?" Tony asked. 

"It's complicated." She told him. 

"You're 15. Define complicated." He said. 

"I'm 15. He also has no idea who he is." She replied. 

"My name is Bucky." The sound on the monitor carries through. 

"I stand corrected." She told Tony. 

"Don't rush into anything, kid." Tony said. "Also, interesting name choice." He added, walking out of the room. 

She hung back a few minutes, wondering where her dad had gone off to. Steve, Sam and Sharon talk in a room away from her. She watched the bigger monitors as the lights go out. 

"Bucky." She whispered to herself. "Dad!" 

She followed him down to where Buck was with Zemo. They find Zemo, then Bucky. But it wasn't Bucky. The Winter Soldier picked her up, throwing her into the nearest wall, rendering her unconscious. Her ribs hurt, making it hard to breathe. She had liked it better when she was choosing not to breathe. 

She felt someone pull her up off the floor, opening her eyes to see Sam. 

"I'm up." She told him. She followed him out as people run out all around them. 

"Damn it." He said. The sunlight was blinding out there. 

"Where's my dad?" She asked. Sam shrugged. 

"He threw you pretty hard. You okay?" 

"I'm fine." She replied. "Not the first time I've been thrown, remember?" 

"Yeah, but this wasn't Rumlow." He replied. 

She ignored the comment. They found Steve and Bucky, both soaked. Bucky was unconscious. 

"Where to now?" She asked. 

"Somewhere safe." Dad said. As if that was an actual answer, right? It wasn't. It was vague as fuck, Steve. 

The groans from Bucky signals he's awake as they sit in their 'safe' place. It was cold and wet here. She wasn't a fan of this shit. She liked the cold and the rain, what she didn't like was the fact that it was cold, dark, concrete and dirty. 

"Dad." She called, rubbing at her arms though the suit. 

"Steve." He said. 

"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Dad asked. 

"Your mom's name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes." He said. 

"Can't read that in a museum." Dad said. Riss raised an eyebrow at her dad. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She mumbled. 

"Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?" Sam asked. Sam and Carissa shared mirrored confused expressions, both glad someone else was confused here. 

"What did I do?" Bucky asked. 

"Threw blondie into a wall." Sam said. Her ribs still ached. 

"Enough." Steve told Bucky. Really, Steve? 

"Oh, God, I knew this would happen. Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words." Buck said. 

"Who was he?" Steve asked. 

"I don't know." Bucky said. 

"Zemo." The girl whispered. She remembered hearing his name being said. She couldn't place where, why. "The doctor who was talking to Bucky, the one we found when he escaped." 

"He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where." Bucky told Steve. 

"Why would he need to know that?" Steve asked. 

"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier." Bucky said. Of course, you weren't. We wouldn't be here if you were. 

"You're the hottest." She mumbled. Sam laughed. Her cheeks flushed red, she assumed nobody would hear that. Bucky told the story. Sam and Steve talked about solutions. Bucky and Carissa held eye contact. Steve disappeared off somewhere. 'To find a mode of transportation' Steve had said. 

Then she was sitting next to Bucky in the smallest car in the world. The backseat, to be specific. 

"Can you move your seat up?" Bucky asked Sam. 

"No." Sam replied. 

"Sam?" She asked, sugar coating her voice. 

"Don't even try it, blondie." 

Bucky smiled at her before scooting over into the middle seat for more room. She had stopped breathing again. Bucky watched her expression change. It confused him; he still didn't know exactly who she was. He knew she was Steve's daughter, that was all. Maybe the daughter he shared with the woman he talked to now? 

She looked out the windshield at her dad and Sharon talking, anything to distract her from his close he was to her. Then they weren't talking anymore. 

"Oh, my god." She whispered as Steve and Sharon's lips connected. Sam covered her eyes. "Too late. I'm scarred." She announced. Sam laughed at the blonde as Steve slid into the driver's seat. He turned back to face her. 

"Sorry, Riss." He smiled apologetically. 

"Drive." She replied. 

With that new image seared into her brain, they drove off. The smallest car in the world pulled up next to a white van in the parking garage of the airport. Steve got out, walking over to shake hands with Clint. 

"Hey Clint. Wanda." Carissa waved slightly. 

"Mini-Cap." Clint said. Wanda smiled. 

"Does anyone ever call you by your name?" Sam asked. 

"Nope." The girl replied. 

Sam shook his head and went to stand behind Steve. She stayed put next to Bucky. 

"What is your name?" Bucky asked her. 

"Carissa." She replied, turning to face him. 

"Carissa." He said. She liked the way he said it. He liked the way it sounded. "I'm Bucky, but you knew that." 

"Hi, Bucky." The girl replied. He liked the way she said it. 

Clint opened the van door to reveal some dude she's never seen before. He looked confused. Shit, she would be, too. She was, actually. Who was this guy again? 

"This is Sam's guy?" She asked. 

"Apparently." Bucky replied to her. "We should get moving." He called to everyone else. 

German filled the air around them as the PA sounded. German sounded angry, like everyone says. Aggressive, even. She resisted the urge to flinch back. 

"They're evacuating the airport." Bucky announced. Oh, so he speaks German. She wondered what other languages those pretty lips could utter... 

"Tony." She told Steve. "Only Tony would go as far as to shut down the airport." 

"Suit up." Steve ordered. 

And that was exactly what they did.


	6. Chapter 6

The usual all black cat suit that she'd had refitted over the years clung to her new found curves. Thank you, puberty. She hadn't really worn it since the whole Headquarters incident in 2014. She didn't even think she'd get to wear it now, considering her and her dad had opted for normal civilian clothes to avoid standing out. 

The iron suits flew through the air and landed in front of Steve. Tony being dramatic as ever. Tony being Tony, she guessed. 

"Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think that's weird?" He asked Rhodes. She blew a laugh through her nose, shaking her head. He could be funny in the worst scenarios, which was probably why they had gotten along so well. 

"Definitely weird." 

"Hear me out, Tony." Steve said. "That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this." 

When Steve finished, their friend Mr. Kitty came out to play. Once a line like that gets written, it stays in the act forever. 

"Captain." He said. 

"Your Highness." Steve replied. Carissa looked over at Sam. 

"High-hsss." She said, making a scratching motion with her hand. Sam and Bucky laughed. Bucky's laugh echoed through her head as her face heated up. He thought she was adorable, but not much like Steve. He hadn't seen her make any crazy dumb decisions yet, which surprised him. Maybe stupidity wasn't hereditary. 

"Anyway...Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?" Tony asked Steve. 

"You're after the wrong guy." Steve said. 

"Your judgement is askew." Tony replied. 

"This feels like we're in the middle of a divorce." Riss whispered to Sam. 

Sam nodded. "Tony is definitely the wife." 

"No shit." Riss replied. "Stay at home wife who does nothing but drink and look pretty." 

Sam laughed. Bucky smiled. Her face reddens. He was surprised to hear her cuss so openly, knowing how much Steve was against that. She didn't seem to care about rules, a trait she definitely got from her father. 

"Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday." Tony told Steve. 

"We read the newspaper, Tony. What else is new?" Riss asked. She had forgotten that their earpieces only connected with their side. She frowned, realizing Tony couldn't hear her rebuttals. 

"And there are five more super soldiers just like him." Steve said. "I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't." 

"Are you sure my dad isn't the wife? Both are quite dramatic." She told Sam. "They're the kind that are like 'I don't care about the kids, I want the Porsche.'" 

Bucky laughed before Sam could respond, his blue eyes sparkling as they look into hers. 

She watched Tash walk out and join the men. This wasn't about to end well. 

"All right. I've run out of patience." Tony said. "Underoos!" 

"Oh no." She mumbled. "This isn't gonna be pretty, either. What trick have you got now, little man?" 

A web flies out and grabs Steve's shield, pulling it towards the webber. 

"Spider-Man." The girl whispered. 

"Who?" Sam asked. She just shook her head at him. 

"Holy shit he got Spider-Man." Carissa starts to fangirl slightly. 

She watched Spider-Man flip over Steve, landing with the shield. 

"Nice job, kid." Tony said. 

"Thanks." Spider-Man replied. 

"I know that voice." She announced. 

"Yeah, it's Spider-Man's. The one guy who's stolen your attention from Bucky." Sam said. She backhanded his shoulder. 

"What?" Bucky asked. He'd noticed her looking, but hadn't realized how much of her attention he had held. 

"Nothing." She replied as Sam laughed. Bucky glared at Sam before returning his attetion to the girl. 

"I could have stuck the landing a little better, it's just new suit. It's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's perfect. Thank you." Spider-Man said. 

"I know that voice." She said again. 

"Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation." Tony told him. 

"Okay. Cap. Captain." Spider-Man continued. "Big fan. I'm Spider-Man." 

"Why the fuck do I know that voice?" She was grwoing frustrated with herself. 

"Yeah, we'll talk about it later." Tony said. 

"Hey, everyone." He said. 

"Good job." Tony told him. 

"This is getting more and more awkward the more Tony tries to fix it." She commented. 

"You've been busy." Steve said. 

"And you've been a complete idiot." Tony replied. 

"We all know but, hey." Riss said. 

"Is that a John Mulaney reference?" Sam asked. 

"Don't judge me." She replied. "The fact that you know that added you to the top of my best friend list. You get to take Tony's spot." 

"Dragging in Clint, rescuing Wanda from a place she doesn't even wanna leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep...I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart." 

Realization hits Carissa like a truck. "That's what this is all about?" She whispered to herself. Tony didn't want the family ripped apart. 

"You did that when you signed." Steve replied. 

"No-" Carissa cried, but Tony couldn't hear her. Steve turned to face her momentarily. Her face held a cold expression. 

"All right, we're done." Tony said. "You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us, now, because it's us or a squad of J-SOC guys with no compunction about being impolite." 

Bucky grabbed Carissa's hand at the mention of him and only squeezed tighter as Tony continued. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach, but she was still hurt over her realization. She just wanted to run out there and hug Tony. She felt Bucky's hand slip out of her. She looked up, Sam motioned for her to keep following him and Bucky. She'd gotten distracted listening intently to what was happening on the earpieces. Bucky's hand slipped back into hers when she caught up. 

"Come on." Tony whispered. 

Sam touched his ear piece. "We found it." He said to Steve. "Their Quinjet's in hangar five, north runway." 

Steve lifts his hands and Clint shot an arrow through the webbing, setting him free. 

"All right, Lang." Steve said. 

"Hey, guys, something-" Spider-Man got cut off as Lang grew, taking the shield from him to give to Steve. 

They start running as Tony spots Wanda. Rhodey gives off the trio's location. Bucky never let's go of the girl's hand. 

"Got three in the terminal." She hears though the earpiece. "Wilson, Barnes and Riss." He said. 

She frowned. It didn't seem fair that they could hear Tony and Rhodey but they couldn't hear the trio. 

Tony smiled. "I knew the mouthy little princess was missing." 

"How come he didn't say your last name?" Sam whined. 

"Didn't you hear? I'm the princess." She replied. 

They kept running and Sam noticed Bucky's holding the girl's hand. He sent her a look and she smiled. She turned around to see Spider-Man jump on the window. 

"What the hell is that?" Bucky asked. 

"Spider-man." The girl answered. 

"Everyone's got a gimmick now." Sam said. 

"Yeah, like you?" She asked. 

"Shut up, princess." 

"Be nice." She replied, sticking her tongue out at Sam as they keep running. 

Spider-Man broke the glass, coming straight for Sam. Sam was taken down as Bucky lets Carissa go, lunging at Spider-Man with his metal arm. The punch is stopped halfway through. 

"You have a metal arm? That is awesome dude." He told Bucky. 

"I know that voice." She said again. It was like repeating that sentence was going to remind her. 

"Carissa?" Spider-Man asked. That's not fair, he can see her face. Sam rushed towards him. His wings came out and they're up. Sam spun, throwing him in the air and Spider-Man just started swinging. Bucky grabbed her hand again, tuggung her along as she watched after Spider-Man. He recognized her, too. 

She heard crashes outside. She turned toward the window to see cars flying out at Tony. Her hand flew up to the ear piece. 

"Dad, don't hurt him!" She begged into the mic. Bucky's features laced in concern as he heard her broken voice. He hated that he'd been the cause of this, of her pain. She obviously loved Tony, wishing even now that he wasn't hurt, despite the fact that they were all out for each other's throats. 

She looked away from the window to see Spider-Man still swinging. Bucky picked up a sign and threw it. He moved quickly, covering himself with the nearest pillar. He'd let go of Carissa a little bit ago, but he'd wished he hadn't. It was easier to make sure she was okay when his hand was interlaced with hers. 

"Hey, buddy, I think you lost this!" Spider-Man said, throwing it back at him. Bucky felt a tug at his hand. He allowed the small girl to pull him off of the pillar and back into the open. 

"Ahh!" Sam yelled. They both turned around as he crashed into an information desk. 

"Sam!" Carissa called. 

"I'm fine, Blondie." He replied. 

He got up and ran over to the glass railing. Spider-Man webbed him there. 

"Those wings carbon fiber?" He asked. 

"Is this stuff coming out of you?" Sam asked in reference to the webs. 

"That would explain the rigidity-flexibility ratio, which, gotta say, that's awesome, man." Spider-Man said. 

"Oh, my god." She whispered. "He's a nerd. I know-" 

"I don't know if you've ever been in a fight before but there's usually not this much talking." Sam cut the girl off. 

"All right, sorry. My bad." Spider-Man said. 

He swings down and Bucky runs in front of Sam, tugging Carissa along. Spider-Man hit into the, and they all fall through the glass. Bucky pulled Carissa on top of him mid-fall. Bucky's back hit the floor as she came crashing down onto his chest, both of them groaning at the impact. She hated falling. Spider-Man webbed Bucky's hands down. 

"Carissa-" Sam started, but she stopped him. 

"Don't. I'm fine." She said. Bucky wondered why she'd reacted that way. He assumed Sam was just going to ask if she was okay. 

"Guys, look, I'd love to keep this up, but I've only got one job here today and I gotta impress Mr. Stark, so, I'm really sorry. And I'm sorry, Carissa." Spider-Man said. 

"It's fine, Peter." She replied. She couldn't see his face but she knew it held a shocked expression. He hadn't expected her to remember him, it had been a while. 

"Who's-" Before he could finish, Red-Wing flew by, pulling him out of another window. 

"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Bucky asked. 

"I hate you." Sam replied. "Blondie, unweb us." 

She reached into her holster and pulled her knife out, reaching up to cut the webbing holding down Bucky's hand. 

"Thanks, doll." He said. She smiled. 

She hovered the knife over the webbing covering Sam. "Say please." 

He rolled his eyes. "Please. I take it back. I hate both of you. I was worried about how pale you were, but I take back all that concern." 

Bucky's face reads pure amusement at the girl. 

"You know why." She simply replied. "I'm fine." 

Bucky grabbed her hand again, after checking to see how pale she actually had been, and theygo to meet up with Steve. She wa thankful he hadn't asked. They run towards the Quinjet just as Vision stopped them. We're soon joined by the rest of their team plus Peter. They stand face to face. She'd never seen a divorce get so messy. Well, she'd never seen a divorce. Just take the fucking Porsche, Tony. 

"What do we do, Cap?" Sam asked. 

"We fight." He said. She had been worried that was going to be the answer. 

Bucky looked down at her and nodded. She nodded back. He hesitantly let go of her hand and they all walk forward. Soon they were running at each other until they all clashed in the middle. Wanda fought off the webbing of Peter, Sam flew around with Rhodes, Bucky fought Mr. Kitty, Natasha flipped Lang over her shoulder and Steve was head to head with Tony. 

She watched Wanda throw Natasha off of Clint. Carissa flinched as she cried in pain. Messy divorce, kids involved. Kids heavily involved. 

"Carissa." Steve called. That was the wrong thing to do because not only did it distract him, but it also momentarily distracted Bucky. But on a good note, it also distracted Peter. She pulled her gun out of its holster and aimed for the webbing. Steve beat her to it, slicing through it with the shield. 

"Fuck." She mumbled. 

Peter grabbed Steve by the arm and leg, pulling him. She shook her head. He didn't want her help, she knew that. 

She turned around, facing the fight. Clint's arrows were being shot midair by Tony. She hesitantly raised her gun. 

"This isn't gonna hurt him." She whispered to herself. "This isn't gonna hurt him." 

"The rest of us aren't getting out of here." She heard Sam say though the ear piece. 

"Go." She told Bucky. "Go, both of you." 

"I can't leave you." Bucky said. 

"You have to. Go. Dad, go. I'll be fine." And with that, a shot rang out. It made a clinking sound as her bullet hit Tony. 

"Did you just-" 

"I had to." She cut him off. He shook his head at her. A look of disappointment crossed his face. A look Tony had never directed at Carissa before. She slid her gun into her holster, not sure if she wanted to hit something or cry. Or both. 

"We need a diversion. Something big." Sam said. 

"I got something kinda big." Lang said. She took this opportunity to sneak her way back to Steve and Bucky. 

They both look at each other then at her. She knew the raw emotion was plastered all across her face, she lacked the energy she needed to hide it. Tony looked disappointed, maybe even hurt. It hurt her that she had caused that reaction. 

"On my signal, run like hell." Lang said. "And if I tear myself in half, don't come back for me." 

"He's gonna tear himself in half?" Bucky asked. 

"I don't think that's the plan, I think that's what happens if the plan goes wrong." Carissa told him. 

A loud grunting sound echoed through the airport. The three of them turn back to see what the hell was happening. 

"Holy shit." She mumbled. She heard Peter exclaim the same thing. "Go, go." She told Bucky. 

"I guess that's the signal." Steve said. 

Bucky ran over to her. "I don't want to leave you." He knew that if he left her, she could get hurt. He couldn't keep an eye on her when he wasn't near her. 

"Go. I'll be fine." 

He nodded. He kissed the girl's forehead before going. Steve sent him a confused look, but didn't say anything. 

"Be careful." Steve tells her. 

"Always." 

They take off running. She turned back around, face first into the fight. 

"Sam!" She yelled. He swooped down, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her on. 

She aimed her gun down at Mr. Kitty. 

"Watch it, Clint." She said into the ear piece as she pulled the trigger. The bullet bounced off. "Fuck." 

"Language." She heard her dad say. 

"I'm pretty useless in this fight, dad." She told him. 

"You're doing fine, doll." Bucky said. He couldn't see her, but he could hear the defeat in her voice. 

"Sam, could you drop me onto Lang?" Riss asked. 

"Sure thing, Blondie." 

She slid off of Sam and onto Lang's shoulder. She had a better idea of what the hell was going on from here. She aimed and shot at Rhodes, which was easier now than it was before. She was impressed she could make a shot with so much distance. Everything was fine until Peter started wrapping webbing around Lang's ankles. 

She started panicking. Lang started falling backwards, sending the girl flying upwards. 

She felt herself falling down. A strangled scream left her throat. The scream carried through the earpiece. Bucky stopped, seeing her falling. Steve grabbed his arm, pulling him back. 

"Steve, she's falling." Bucky said. 

"Tony will catch her." Steve replied. 

"Are you sure?" Bucky asked. 

"Positive. Tony would never let her fall." 

"Kid!" Tony yelled, gaining Peter's attention. 

"I got her!" Peter said. 

"They haven't caught her yet, Steve." Bucky announced. 

"Carissa!" Steve yelled into the earpiece. "Tony, catch her." 

"I'm working on it, Steve." Tony replied. 

The wind was whipping her hair around her face as she continued to fall. She couldn't see the ground. She abruptly hit a hard surface, but to my surprise it wasn't the ground. 

"I got you, Carissa." Peter said. 

"I'm fine, dad." She whined into the earpiece. 

Lang smacked Peter out of the air as the two were swinging, sending them both spiraling towards the ground. They both hit the ground hard and roll. Tony flew down to check on Peter. 

"Kid, you all right?" Tony asked. Peter's fists came flying up towards Tony. 

"Same side. Guess who. Hi. It's me." Tony said. 

"Hey, man." Peter said. "That was scary." 

"You're done, all right. You too, Carissa." Tony said. 

"What? I'm good, I'm fine." Peter said. 

"You did a good job. Stay down with Carissa. Make sure she's okay." Tony said. 

Peter continued to argue. Peter attempted to get up as Tony left, but came crashing back down to the ground. 

"You okay?" He asked the girl who had remained quiet. She rolled over. 

"Yeah. I'm good." She replied. 

"How did you recognize me?" He asked. 

"I knew the voice, but it took a while to place it. The nerd talk gave it away." 

"You remembered me." He said. 

"You were my first friend when dad threw me into public school. He ripped me out pretty quickly." She replied. 

"That was years ago." Peter said. 

"And your voice hasn't changed since we were twelve." She replied. 

"So that guy you were running with, is that your boyfriend?" He asked. 

"Not yet." She told him. 

"He's like 100." 

"He almost is, actually. My dad, too." She said. 

"You're sixteen. Almost sixteen." Peter said. 

"Which is why I said not yet." 

"So, when you turn eighteen..." 

"Yeah." She answered. Her eyelids started to grow heavy. "I'm tired, Peter." 

"I know. You can go to sleep, Riss." He told her, pulling her closer so she could rest her head on his chest. She fell asleep there, on the ground of the airport as the sound of fighting surrounded her. Her breathing evened and Peter felt her heart slow. He twirled a piece of her hair in his fingers. She grew up to be pretty, he had noticed. He wondered what she had thought of him now. 

She woke up in a horribly lit room. Her vision blurred as she took in her surroundings. She felt like throwing up. Her breath was shaky. One of the walls of the place were see through. 

"You okay, Blondie?" She heard Sam ask. She nodded before realizing he couldn't see her. 

"I'm fine." She replied. 

"You don't sound it." He said. She nodded before standing. She wasn't in my cat suit anymore. She was now in an ugly blue prison jumpsuit. 

Tony stopped in front of Sam's cell. She watched through the glass wall. From here, she could see into Sam's cell as well as Scott's and Clint's. Tony asked Sam a bunch of questions before turning to her. 

"They locked up a kid." Tony said. "Do you need anything? They feed you yet?" Tony asked her. 

She shook her head. "Get me out of here, Tony." 

"You don't look so good. You look pale." He turned to Sam. "She look pale to you?" He asked. 

"I'm always pale, Tony." 

"She always looks pale, especially after falling." Sam added. 

"Paper pale. Where's your boyfriend?" Tony asked. 

"He's not my boyfriend." She replied. 

"Had me fooled." Tony said. "Especially when you chose him over me." 

The sentence stung her, but she refused to show it. "Tony, you just asked Sam the same damn thing and he answered you. What do you want from me?" 

"Nothing." He replied. "Just wanted to tease you. I'll get you a doctor." 

"Thanks." She bitterly replied. 

It wasn't long before someone walked into her cell. 

"I was informed you need medical attention. You look pale." The doctor told her. 

"That's what they've been telling me." She replied. 

The doctor did an external check, seeing nothing was wrong. A few cuts and bruises, which was normal. 

Part way through the check, she had gotten a horrible headache. She spun around, emptying her stomach into the toilet in her cell. It looked like coffee grounds. She turned to the doctor and pointed. 

"That's a sign of internal bleeding." He said. 

"Fantastic." She replied. She wiped at her mouth, hating the feeling of throwing up. 

They ran tests on the girl to determine how bad it actually was. 

"Blunt trauma." The doctor told her. "A fall from great height." 

"Oh." She replied, recalling falling from the shoulder of Scott before getting caught by Peter only to fall again. She felt nauseous all over again just thinking about it. Her fear of falling wasn't getting any better anytime soon. 

"I'll have to put an order in for emergency surgery." The doctor said before leaving. 

"Did he just say emergency surgery?" Sam asked. 

"Internal bleeding." She replied. "And my ribs. Again." She remembered when Rumlow had cracked her ribs. This was different though. This time, they were broken. 

It wasn't long before she got rushed into surgery. When she was released, she had been told recovery time will be about six weeks to two months. 

"Six hours later, you're still pale." Sam said. 

"I'll be okay." She replied. 

"Bucky's gonna be pissed." Sam said. 

"Don't." She replied. "Not my boyfriend." 

"I know. Yet." Sam said. "Get some sleep, Blondie." 

And for the second time that day, she had fallen asleep on command. Sam watched the girl until he could no longer see her, thinking about her as he heard her soft snores. Bucky was gonna lose his shit when he found out she'd gotten hurt. Hell, him and Steve both. He'd pay to watch that. 

Her entire body ached, which had made it hard to stay asleep. She didn't have enough Super Soldier blood in her to aid the pain or healing. She wasn't useful like she used to be. She wasn't anything. She wasn't even a member of the team anymore. There wasn't a team to be a part of. Her sense of belonging flew out the window. 

When she woke up, she was in a whole new cell. Tony came in raising hell after hearing about her surgery. Demanded she was released, but they had refused. She was just a kid and she was in pain. She didn't need to be here. They disagreed, moving my cell for show. Telling a very livid Tony that I would be isolated. But once Tony left, she was moved back with Sam. She was complaining, she preferred it. 

She couldn't stand to lay down anymore. She had to get up. So, she did. She looked over at Sam, who nodded at her. She smiled. Then his attention was pulled away from her as her dad walked over to him. She smiled again, brighter this time. Then, she saw Bucky. 

"Buck." She called. He turned to face her. He walked over, placing his hands on the glass. They smiled at each other. Everything was going to be okay. Buck's smile faded as he took in her hunched over posture. He looked over at Sam, who was already looking at her along with Steve. 

"Emergency surgery?" Steve asked. 

"What?" Bucky sharply asked. 

"Internal bleeding, broken ribs..." Sam listed. 

"Shut up, Sam." The blonde girl ordered. 

She finally got released, being handed over to her father. Bucky held her as upright as he could, but it wasn't easy. The poor girl was in too much pain to stad upright. But she was happy now. She thought everything was going to be okay. 

Until the trip to Wakanda. 

"You sure about this?" Steve asked Bucky. She wiped away a tear. 

"I can't trust my own mind. So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head, I think going back under is the best thing. For everybody." Bucky replied. He looked over at me. "Come here." He said. 

She walked over to Bucky. He placed his hands on her hips lightly. "Now isn't the time for us but when I come back out, I'll be safe and you'll be older. When I come back, we'll figure something out, doll. I promise. I'll come back to you." He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he finished. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he got up. He hugged her back as tightly as he could without hurting her before he released the girl and walked over to the tube. The glass froze over. 

"He'll come back to us." Steve told her. It was awkward and sad. She wasn't sure which one was more prominent, but both were there. 

"He promised." She said. 

Carissa and Steve looked out the window as T'Challa walked over to them. Beautiful view, but just like Berlin, it had nothing on Bucky. 

"Thank you for this." Steve said. 

"Your friend and my father, they were both victims." T'Challa said. 

She smiled. Bucky wasn't a bad guy. He was a victim. A survivor. 

"If I can help one of them find peace..." 

"You know if they find out he's here they'll come for him." Dad said. 

"Let them try." T'Challa says. 

She knew he was safe here. And she knew Bucky was coming back to her. Now it was only a matter of when. She's never had enough patience for the waiting game.


	7. Chapter 7

"Let me go to Queens." Carissa said to her dad as calmly as she could possibly muster. 

"I can't." He told her. 

"Let me go to Queens." She repeated. She wasn't about to pass up this opportunity. 

"Carissa." Steve told the girl, pinching the bridge of his nose. He couldn't bring himself to let her walk out that door. 

"Dad." 

"I can't let you go to Queens." 

"Let me go to Queens." 

They'd been at this for about an hour, back and forth. Same argument. Peter had invited her back to Queens, asking her to help Spider-Man. She refused to pass p that opportunity, which lead the blonde pair here. 

"Be my sidekick." Peter had said. She laughed and placed a hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow at the boy. 

"I will not be your damn sidekick. I'm the daughter of Captain America, you asshole. You're just stickier than other teenage boys. And your webs shoot out of your hands instead of your dick." His face reddened at the end of her sentence, but he persisted. 

"Then be my partner, Riss. Come on." He whined. He pulled puppy dogs eyes on her and she was sold. He also waved a bag of gummy bears in her face but that was beside the point. 

And that was what had gotten them here. Steve and Carissa arguing in their kitchen. Back and forth. They were both having a hard time. 

"Let me help Peter." 

"I don't want you helping Spider-Man." Steve told the girl. 

"I can't stay here, dad. I can't sit in this house and watch the time slowly click by as we wait for that phone to ring telling us he's coming home. I can't stay here. Please, let me go to Queens." 

"If you leave, I'll be here alone." 

"Then get a dog, dad. Seriously. I've been wanting a dog for so long. Please." She begged again. She felt bad for leaving her dad, but she just couldn't take it anymore. 

"Do you want a dog or do you want Queens?" Steve asked his daughter. 

"The dog was for you, dad. Queens is for me." 

"Fine." He finally gave in. He was tired. She had known he hadn't sleeping, but he'd stayed quiet at all hours of the night, unaware his daughter couldn't sleep either. He tried. He was trying. She appreciated it, but the energy in the house was draining her. They were both miserable, unsure of how to continue. They'd lived their lives without Bucky just fine, but that was before he was still alive. It was easier to lose someone and know you were never getting them back. 

She forced a smile. She already had her bags all packed and shoved into her army green Volkswagen camper. She knew she'd win the argument, but she still felt guilty for leaving. He was alone, but at least this way he could distract himself. He wasn't happy for giving in so easily, but he knew she'd be fine. Peter wouldn't let anything happen to her. Or so Cap hoped. 

"When are you coming home?" Steve asked her. 

"Who the hell knows, dad. I'll call you. I love you." 

"You too." 

She had everything she needed in the back of her camper. Her bed was all made up and ready to go. It wasn't perfect, but it was all she needed. She didn't have a lot of open space, the back was just her bed and a counter with a sink, stovetop and fridge built in. She could live in here if she had to. Her walls back there were a light shade of grey to go with her pink sheets and slate grey comforter on her bed. Her counter was white with stainless steel appliances. She liked the way the colors on the inside looked good with the dark green of her camper. 

She sighed. Steve couldn't bear to stay in New York after Bucky left. When he was 'dead', Brooklyn was her dad's happy place, but now that Bucky left willingly, Steve couldn't take it anymore. They'd done a bit of moving around, settling back in D.C. She never understood why he always went back. She had a 7-hour drive ahead of her, if she were speeding. She was always speeding. 

But she had a pit stop to make before she could head to Queens, to Peter. 

7 and a half hours later she stood in front of Avengers Tower, waiting for Tony. He held up a syringe in his hand and lead her to a little room with an operation table. She didn't like needles, but she liked them much better than falling. 

"I have to say I was surprised when you called me." Tony admitted. He had been. They left off on a bad note, so when his phone lit up with her picture across it asking for help, he didn't hesitate to answer. The guilt had been eating away at him for how he'd looked at her. He hadn't even realized what he had done until her eyes had begun to tear up. To make it worse, he didn't say anything after that. He had just left her to stand there. 

"I needed your help and yours only. Don't tell my dad for now." She replied. She wouldn't have called Tony if she didn't have to. Banner could've easily done this for her if she knew where he was. 

Tony nodded at the girl. She sat on the operation table. Neither of them made eye contact. 

"Wanda wasn't in favor of this." 

"But after a bit of convincing I see you got what I wanted." She replied. They both had the greater chances of winning any arguments they were in. Another thing they'd had in common. Don't stop talking until you've gotten what you want. 

He raised an eyebrow and held up the syringe. He had taken some of Wanda's blood and extracted her powers from it. He's done what she'd asked and she knew it'd taken him a little bit to figure out how to do that exactly, but he was one of the smartest people she knew. He felt the same about her, ignoring the PHDs Banner had to his name. He'd take Carissa's advice over anyone else's. 

"It'll be okay, Tony." She told him. 

He shook his head at the girl. They still hadn't looked at each other. He wiped her arm with an alcohol wipe. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Just do it, Tony." 

He sighed again and slide the needle into the girl's arm. The red glow of Wanda's powers flowed through her veins until settling. 

"Okay. Fling the chair across the room and I'll let you walk out." Tony told her, wiping the needle off before setting it down. He was doing everything he could to avoid looking into those blue eyes. She nodded, but he couldn't see her. She lifted her finger and flicked it at the chair. The chair hit the wall and smashed to pieces. 

"I'm impressed." Tony said. "Wanda struggles with that even now." 

"I told you I had more self-control." She replied. 

"Debatable. Are you going to help Peter?" 

"I need a distraction, Tony." 

"You'll get it with Peter. I can guarantee that." He replied. 

She nodded, but just as last time, Tony had been looking at the floor. 

"You miss him?" 

"Who?" She asked. 

"Your boyfriend." Tony said in a mocking tone, finally looking at her. 

"He's not my boyfriend." She replied. 

"Then maybe Peter can be?" Tony asked. 

She accidentally laughed in response. "I meant yet, Tony. I meant yet." She couldn't believe what he was asking. 

"You're sixteen, Carissa." Tony said. He couldn't believe what he was saying either. 

And he was in the ice. She couldn't say that, though. 

She couldn't tell Tony that. It sucked not being able to tell the person you trust the most in the world the one thing you want to talk about. She looked back at Tony. 

She nodded. "I should get going, huh? Gotta get to Peter." 

"I'll see you around, Riss." 

"Bye, Tony. Thank you." 

He nodded and she walk out. Guilt took over his features as he followed after the girl. 

"Hey, little Rogers." Happy said as he passed her in the hallway. 

"Happy." She replied with a slight nod and a smile. 

When she made it to the door, Tony called her name. She spun around as the man wrapped his arms around her. 

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair. 

"So am I." The girl whispered back. 

"Be careful." He said before he planted a kiss in her hair and walked away. 

It wasn't long before she was parked outside of Peter's school. There was a slight chill in the air, making her pull at the sleeves of her black hoodie and regret wearing ripped jeans. She walked down the hallway, seeing him at his locker. Before she got a chance to scare him, someone popped up behind him. 

"Damn." She whispered. 

He closed his locker and started walking towards her. The two make eye contact as his friend kept talking. She shook her head slightly, but at this point he was looking past her. She turned around, seeing a girl with dark hair at the end of the hallway. She smirked as she turned back to face Peter. Maybe she wouldn't be dating Peter, Tony. Only this would be for a different reason. She smiled to herself, slipping back out of the school. She would sure be teasing Peter for that. 

The bell rang and people started to scramble. She made her way back to her camper, trusting Peter would be looking for her. 

"He's kinda stupid." She reminded herself, pulling her phone out. He probably hadn't seen her in the hall. 

To Peter🕸:   
Come meet me at the camper after school. 

Peter had felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but he was a little distracted jumping over the gate. He hadn't really checked to see if anyone had been around. 

She watched as Peter was actually the first one out. He ran down the stairs and jumped over the gate. 

"Parker." She called through her rolled down window. 

His head snapped up and he smiled, running over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around. 

"You didn't tell me you were coming." He said. He didn't actually think she'd make it. 

"That was the point." She replied. 

"This is yours?" He asked, pointing to the camper. She nodded. 

"Come on." 

He directed her through town to his favorite little corner store. 

"Trust me, you'll love it." He said. 

He jumped out and skipped across the street. She followed. 

"Hey, Mr. Delmar." Peter said. 

"Hey, Mr. Parker. Number five, right?" Delma's asked as Peter set down two packs of gummy worms. 

"Yeah, and with pickles, and can you smush it down real flat? Thanks. Want anything?" Peter asked her. She shook her head. He turned back to Delmar. "This is my friend, Carissa." 

"Hey, Carissa." Delmar greeted the girl. 

She waved in response, which made packages of candy fall to the floor. Peter sent her a confused look and she shook her head. Delmar turned back to Peter, not noticing. "How's your aunt?" He asked. 

"Yeah, she's all right." Peter responded, crossing his arms. 

"She's a very hot Italian woman." Delmar said, in Spanish, to the guy making Peter's sandwich. She took the opportunity to wave her hand again, picking up the candy. 

"How's your daughter?" Peter responded, in Spanish as well. Carissa laughed slightly. Peter's smile brightened when he realized she could understand them. 

"Ten dollars." Delmar said. 

"It's five dollars." Peter argued. 

"For that comment, $10." 

Peter smiled. "Hey, come on. I'm joking, I'm joking. Here's $5." Peter walked away from the counter to go pet the cat. 

"I didn't even see that little guy." Carissa said when Peter came back. Peter smiled at her. He was so glad she was here. It wasn't that he needed the help, it was that he wanted her there. He just used the only excuse he had on file. 

"So, how's school?" Delmar asks. 

"Ah, you know. It's boring. Got better things to do." Peter said. 

"Okay, Brainiac." The girl muttered. 

"Stay in school, kid. Stay in school." Delmar said. "Otherwise, you're gonna end up like me." 

"This is great." Peter said. 

"This truly is great." Carissa agreed. 

"Best sandwiches in Queens." Delmar said. 

He handed the sandwich to Peter and they walked out. 

"What was that?" Peter asked. 

"What?" She replied, playing dumb. She thought he'd forgotten all about it. 

"You wave and shit falls." He said. 

She sighed. "You wanted a partner." She replied. "I got you the best damn partner you could have." 

"Uh, I wanted you." He said. He didn't actually need a partner. He didn't even really want one. 

"And I'm here. Just enhanced." She told him. 

"What the hell does that mean?" He was confused now, not getting what she was hinting at. 

She looked around and pointed to a rock on the ground. 

"Look." She told him. He followed her gaze and she flicked her hand. A red glow coated her hand as the rock flew away. 

"Like that one girl." He said. 

"Wanda." Carissa replied. 

"How?" 

"Paid a visit to Tony." 

Peter nodded and started running. That was all the explanation he needed. He looked back at her and she got the hint. He must've been bored with the conversation, she assumed. She followed him into an alley as he slipped his shoes off. He threw them down the alley before taking off his backpack. He unzipped it and pulled out his suit before taking his pants off. Then he removed his shirt. 

"Um, Peter?" She asked. He spun around and she forced myself to look away after a moment. 

"Oh, shit. Right. Sorry, Riss." He turned back around and slid the suit on. He picked up the backpack and webbed it to the wall. Then he jumped up to the roof. 

"What the hell, Peter? You could've done all this in my van." 

"Oh, right. You coming or what?" 

She'd seen Wanda do this plenty of times. Both palms open and facing the floor, she rushed the power down her arms and into her hands, sending her off the floor. She struggled to stay straight as she continued to levitate up. She got to the top and he nodded at the girl. 

"Let's go." He said. 

She followed him everywhere he swung, even when he took the bike from some guy and left a note on it. 

"Dumbass." She commented. Next thing she know, they were sitting on a train. 

"This is really all you do?" She asked him. 

"Until Mr. Stark needs me." He replied. 

"Peter, he isn't gonna call you." She said. It had slipped, and she felt bad the second she said it. She couldn't believe she'd just said that to him. 

The mask slipped slightly and she knew he was frowning. She deeply regretted saying that. 

"I'm sorry, I just-" 

"You grew up with Mr. Stark as a major influence in your life. You know him best." Peter swung off the train and away from her. He knew she was right, but that didn't keep it from stinging. He wanted someone to believe in him just like they all believed in her. Peter had no idea what it was actually like to be Riss. 

"Shit." She mumbled. She felt the power flow through to her hands before she was lifted off her feet, heading in the direction he went in. She found him on top of a building, doing a flip to impress someone down on the ground. He flipped off the roof and swung off. 

"You're really gonna make me chase you?" She complained. "You're a dick." 

He knew he was being a dick; she didn't need to tell him that. He was fully aware and he didn't care. 

She caught up to him when he stopped to give a lady directions. She bought him a churro and when he saw Carissa, he took off again. 

"Fucker." She snapped. 

She found him at the water tower walking back and forth on a web. 

"Hey, asshole." 

"Hi, Riss." He replied calmly. He knew she was mad, but she wasn't the only one. 

"You made me chase you in a bunch of fucking circles." 

He looked up at the girl and shrugged. He really was being an asshole and he knew it, but he couldn't stop. 

"I want a partner." She mocked in a high-pitched voice. "I want you, Carissa. Please be my partner. Please come to Queens." 

Peter shrugged again. Now she was being an asshole. 

"You're an asshole, Parker." 

"I'm sorry, Carissa. Okay?" 

"No, it's not okay. When I apologized you took off." 

"Why'd you have to tell me he would call?" Peter asked. 

"Because I know what it's like to have your hopes up and Tony not deliver. I know what it's like for my dad not to deliver, too. Being close with these superhero's just means they miss your birthday and Christmas multiple year in a row." 

Peter set his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Riss. I didn't... I don't-" 

"Stop." I reply, looking up at him. His eyes stared back into mine. I shook my head. 

"What about the metal armed guy?" Peter asked. 

"That's complicated." 

"Well, that's your boyfriend, right?" 

"He's not my boyfriend." She told Peter. "Everyone thinks that, but he's not. Not right now." 

"Everyone thinks that because he was afraid of you being hurt sooner than your dad was. When you were falling, he was coming back. He turned right around. And Mr. Stark was the whole reason I had even noticed you were falling. Mr. Stark yelled into the earpiece for me to catch you or he'd murder me with his bare hands. Your dad stood there, frozen in his tracks and telling him to come back. They were scared." 

"His name's Bucky." She told Peter. "And my dad's name is Steve and you can call Tony Tony." 

"That's okay. What's Bucky's last name?" Peter asked. He'd calmed down a little, his time going back to normal. 

"Barnes." She replied. 

"Then Mr. Barnes. Or Mr. Carissa's not-yet-boyfriend." 

She laughed at that and Peter smiled. She smiled back before he pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her. 

"It's your first day and we've already started fighting." Peter said. 

"It's a partner thing, trust me. We'll get the hang of it." 

He nodded. 

"How did you know?" She asked. 

"Know? Know what?" 

"That my dad had told him to come back." She clarified. 

"We could hear you guys, too." Peter admitted. 

She released him. They could hear them? So, Tony could hear her pleading for him to stop, for them to stop. 

Suddenly Peter jumped off the web and down on top of a car, which pulled Carissa away from her thought rather violently. 

"We won't get the hang of it if you just jump off buildings with no warning. What the hell are you doing?" She asked him. 

He stopped some guy from getting into his car and a bunch of people came out to yell at him. The girl laughed. 

Finally, he looked up at her and motioned for her to join him as he swung off. She followed closely behind. 

One of the times he went to swing, the web didn't stick and he ate shit. Carissa laughed so hard she actually fell from her levitating state. That had sent Parker into a laughing fit of his own. 

"I'm good, I'm good." He told her. 

"Me too." She replied. 

He turned around to look at me and we both burst out laughing all over again. He walked over, offering the girl a hand. 

"Those web things are great. I might have to call Tony." She told him. 

"Mr. Stark? For what?" 

"Well, that's how I got the powers." She replied. 

"You should get a suit." He told her. 

"No need. People know me, I just can't be seen with Peter. I can be seen with Spider-Man. Except for around Delmar, I guess. Plus, I technically have a suit." 

He nodded. "Sounds complicated. Also, your cat suit doesn't count." He said before swinging off again. 

"Has the word 'suit' in it." She yelled after him. 

They sat on a fire escape as he called Happy. 

"Hey, Happy. Here's my report for tonight. I stopped grand thief bicycle. I couldn't find the owner so I left a note. Um...I helped this lost old Dominican lady. She was really nice and bought me a churro. I just feel like I could be doing more. You know? Just curious when the next real mission's gonna be." 

The girl frowned at Peter. He just wanted to have a purpose. She had just wanted to be useful. They had something in common. Both were a small fraction of something bigger, bigger than they'd ever be. 

"So, yeah. Just call me back. It's Peter. Parker." He hung up on that note and sighed. 

"Why would I tell him about the churro?" Peter mumbled. He just wanted someone to be proud of him. He wanted to be an Avenger, a bigger part of the bigger picture. 

"Out of everything wrong with that conversation, you question the churro part?" She asked. 

Peter hit a button on his suit which sent something into the air. He reached out to catch it, standing sideways again the railing of the fire escape. He suddenly perked up, looking at the bank on the corner. 

"What?" The girl asked, studying the shift in his facial expression. 

"Finally, something good. Let's go." He swung over. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." She jumped off the fire escape after him, slowing herself with the red glow of the psionics. She walked across the street, wind blowing through her hair. 

"You don't look like a superhero; you look like a super model. Move your ass." Peter called from the doors of the bank. She glared at him. 

"Uh, Peter..." She started as she watched them remove the front of the ATM with a weird gun looking weapon that had blue psionic energy radiating off of it. 

"What?" He asked. 

"I don't know if I can..." 

Before she finished, he was inside. 

"Damn it, Parker." She mumbled. Peter had seen the weapon. This was his chance to be something bigger. To make Tony proud, he had hoped. 

Carissa followed him inside, opening and shutting the door even quieter than he had. She had been good about sneaking around. Her dad had Super Soldier hearing, she had to perfect it. 

He awkwardly placed a hand on the wall and the other on his hip. "What's up, guys?" He asked. She crossed her arms. "You forgot your pin number?" 

That's why Tony picked him. Just as much of a smart ass. Tony had good taste in people, which was why he had kept Riss around in the first place. 

The guys looked up at the kids, all wearing Avengers masks. Peter looked at her and pointed. 

"Look! They're the Avengers." He said excitedly. 

"Wow, they look better on TV." She replied, furrowing her eyebrows. "I'm actually disappointed." 

"What are you guys doing here?" Peter asked. The one in the Iron Man mask cocked a gun, which Peter webbed, the throwing it at the guy next to him. The one with the Thor mask got up, making Peter spin him around, sending him flying into Hulk. Peter jumped, sticking to the ceiling to kick Thor. His feet stuck to the ceiling as he turned around to talk to Thor. 

"I agree with Carissa. I thought you'd be more handsome in person." He said. 

"Dude!" Carissa yelled. She watched as Iron Man stood, coming at Peter. The red glow flowed through as she raised her hand at him, flicking it away. That sent him through the window. 

"I didn't mean to break it." She mumbled. 

"That was so cool!" Peter yelled. "Hey, why is Iron Man robbing a bank anyway? He's a billionaire." 

"I guess that's what happens when you have to replace the Avengers Tower a million times." She commented. 

Hulk got up, holding the psionics gun. Peter threw Iron Man into him, sending them both toppling. He hit the trigger and Peter was surrounded by blue. He was stuck where he was, midair. Carissa looked down at her hands, shaking her head. 

"Oh, this feels so weird." Peter said. The machine distorted his voice. It didn't hurt, it was just really uncomfortable. 

It's not hurting him. Good. She raised her hands, but Hulk moved Peter in front of the girl. The blue psionics cancelled out her own. The red glow was gone. 

"I can't!" She yelled at Peter. 

Peter was sent back towards her. I ducked and he hit straight into the glass casing. 

"Thanks for catching me." He mumbled from the floor. 

"How was I supposed to catch you? That thing cancels out my psionics. Look." She opened her palms, face up. They didn't have a glow. She was useless again. 

The blue lit up again. "What is that thing?" Peter asked. "It's like you but blue." 

"And stronger." She added. Peter frowned at the defeat obvious in her voice. Her eyes held confliction. She wasn't sure what to do now. It bugged him that he couldn't help her, he didn't like the way the emotion took over her features like that. 

The blue lit up Peter, slamming him between the floor and ceiling. 

"I'm staring...to think...you're not...the Avengers." Peter says in between slams. He was still worried about Carissa, unsure of where she was now or what she was trying to do. He knew she was frustrated, both with the situation and herself. 

He stuck himself to the floor, webbing a counter piece and flinging it towards the guy with the Captain America mask. 

"Peter, I-" She started. 

"Go." He told her. He didn't mean to make it sound so harsh, but he wanted her out of there. He didn't need her to get hurt. Tony would kill him. 

She nodded, slipping outside. She noticed Delmar looking out the window, phone in his hand. That had to be one odd phone call. I'm sorry, did you say the Avengers were robbing the bank? 

"Oh, shit." She slipped around the side of the bank, out of his sight. 

Then a purple beam lit through the bank and across the street. Delmar's was lit on fire, but her concern right now was Peter. 

"P?" She asked. "Parker?" 

"Mr. Delmar." He replied. Peter ran out of the bank and over to Delmar's. She stayed put. She didn't have a choice. She watched Peter pull Delmar out safely before slipping around the bank. 

Peter ran towards her, grabbing her by the arm and taking off. 

"What the hell?" He asked. 

"Delmar knows me, remember? Me going in there was a compromise to your identity. I didn't have a choice, Peter. You handled it." She answered him. 

"And what about your psionics?" He asked in a pissed tone. He knew the answer, but that didn't stop him from being frustrated about something out of both of their control. 

"The blue cancelled me out." She replied. "I was stuck. I could do anything. I didn't even know that was possible, Parker. I didn't think I'd need my guns and even if I had them their tech was a thousand times better." 

Peter glared at her but nodded. "You're right." He said. "A thousand times better. Call Mr. Stark." He knew she felt bad enough about it, but he couldn't bring himself to not be pissed. He'd needed her help. 

She did what he her told her and called Tony as he called Happy. 

Happy answered, Tony didn't. 

"Happy, the craziest thing just happened to me and Carissa. These guys were robbing an ATM with high-tech weapons-" 

She assumed Happy cut Peter off at that point. 

"Wait, wait. You're moving? Who's moving?" Peter asked. 

"But what about me?" Peter asked, moments later. 

She could see the camper in the distance. And after a little bit, "Well, what if Mr. Stark needs me or something big goes down? Can I please just talk to Mr. Stark?" 

She snapped in his face to gain his attention. He opened the camper door, sliding into the front seat. She drove him to the alley where his bag had been left. 

"I am responsible. Oh, crap. My backpack's gone." Peter said. 

And after a few more seconds, "I'll call you back." 

Peter never called Happy back as I drove back to his place. We were silent the whole drive there, not even daring to look at each other. 

"You coming?" He asked as he slid out of the car. 

"Sure." She replied. She slid out of the car, watching him stick to the wall. She looked at her hands, attempting to rush the energy through. She smiled as her hands light up red and she was able to levitate right past him. 

"Show off." He mumbled. 

He gets to his window, sliding it open. He crawled in and motioned for her to follow before sliding it back closed. She softly landed on her feet in front of the door, shutting it slightly. 

Peter sighed at her before they both turn to face the bed. Both of them froze. 

The Lego death star hit the floor. 

"What was that?" May asked 

Peter panicked slightly, which had made his voice squeak. "Uh, it's nothing. Nothing." He said. 

"You're the Spider-Man. From YouTube. And that's some girl." The guy said. 

"Ouch." Carissa replied. 

"I'm not. I'm not." Peter said. She raised an eyebrow at him. 

"You're wearing the suit still, genius." She reminded the boy. 

He hit the Spider button in the middle of the suit, leaving him in just his boxers. 

"You were on the ceiling." The guy on the bed said. 

"Aren't you observant?" Riss asked sarcastically. 

"What are you doing in my room?" Peter asked. 

"May let me in. We were gonna finish the Death Star." The guy answered. 

"Nerds." Riss commented. 

"You can't just bust into my room." Peter said. The door opened behind Carissa and Peter scurried away. 

May walked in, laughing. "That turkey meatloaf recipe is a disaster. Let's go to dinner. Thai? Ned, Carissa, you guys want Thai?" 

"Yes." Ned said. 

"No. He's got a thing." Peter interjected. 

"A thing to do after." Ned said. 

"Okay. Carissa?" She turned to the girl. 

"I would love to join you guys for Thai." She replied. 

She smiled and pointed at Peter. "Maybe put on some clothes." 

Peter grabbed a grey long sleeve off his chair. 

"Oh, she doesn't know." Ned said. 

"Nobody knows!" Peter whisper yelled. 

Carissa cleared her throat. 

"Mr. Stark knows because he made my suit. That's it." Peter corrected his previous statement. 

Carissa cleared her throat again. 

"And Carissa knows." Peter finally adds. 

"Tony Stark made you that? Are you an Avenger?" Ned asked. 

"Yeah, basically." Peter replied. 

"I'd say Avengers adjacent." Carissa said. 

"Are you an Avenger?" Ned asked her. 

"Yeah, basically." She said, quoting Peter. "I'm the daughter of one and I grew up with them. Been going on missions since I was thirteen." 

"Oh, geez." Ned said. 

"You can't tell anybody." Peter told him. "You gotta keep it a secret." 

"Secret? Why?" Ned asked. 

"Oh, god, really?" The girl asked. 

"You know what she's like." Peter said, pointing at the door. "If she finds out people try and kill me every single night, she's not gonna let me do this anymore. Come on, Ned, please." 

The girl rolled her eyes. "If you don't keep it a secret there's this really cool thing Nick Fury has that will make you forget about all of this. Like the one they used in Men In Black, but we aren't aliens." Carissa told Ned. 

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll level with you. I can't keep this a secret. It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me." Ned said. 

Peter looked back at Riss. She tilted her head slightly. 

"Ned, May cannot know. I cannot do that to her right now." Peter said. "You know? I mean, everything that's happened with her, I- Please." 

Carissa's heart sank. She didn't remember much, but she remembered Uncle Ben. That was something she and Peter had in common. They'd both lost people they loved. 

"Okay." Ned said. 

"Just swear it, okay?" Peter asked. 

"I swear." 

"Thank you." Peter replied. 

"Yeah." 

"Riss really was gonna make you forget, I hope you know that." Peter said, motioning to her. 

"I know." He said. 

"I can't believe this is happening right now." Peter said. 

"Can I try the suit on?" Ned asked. 

"No." She and Peter replied in unison. 

"How's it work? Is it magnets? How do you shoot the strings?" 

"No." Carissa simply replied. 

"I'm gonna tell you at school tomorrow." Peter promised. 

"Great." Ned said. "Wait, how do you do this and the Stark internship?" 

"This is the Stark internship." Peter said. 

"My god." Carissa commented. 

"Ohh..." Ned realized. 

"Just get out of here." Peter said, pushing Ned out of the room. 

He backed up to the door and covered his face with his hands. 

"I know." Carissa told him. She'd dealt with her fair share of stupid, too. Peter finally put pants on at the three walked out of the apartment, heading to the Thai restaurant. 

"What's the matter?" May asked Peter at dinner. "I thought you loved Larb." 

"That sounds unpleasant." Riss mumbled. Peter smiled down at his plate at her comment. 

"It's too larby?" May asked. The blonde laughed. "Not larby enough? How many times do I have to say 'larb' before you talk to me?" 

"Hopefully that was the last time." Carissa said. 

Peter finally looked up at May and then at Riss. 

"You know I larb you." May said. Carissa's amusement was plastered across her face as she took another bite. Her eyes never left Peter. 

"I'm just stressed. The internship, and I'm tired." He replied. "A lot of work." 

"The Stark internship. I have to tell you, not a fan of that Tony Stark." 

Carissa fought the urge to drop her chopsticks. Peter noticed her shift in emotion, her amusement draining from her face. 

"You're distracted all the time. He's got you in your head." May continued. 

"Excuse me." Carissa mumbled, standing. Peter watched the girl leave the chair. 

"You okay, sweetie?" May asked. 

"Yes, I'm fine." Carissa replied before she walked into the restroom. She stood, hands firmly on the sink and looked into the mirror. It wasn't Tony's fault Peter was running around like a crazy person. It had bugged Riss that she could say that, though. She'd blow his cover. 

Peter anxiously waited for the blonde's return. He knew she hadn't liked May's commentary and her was sure she'd have a few words to say to him later. 

Carissa took a deep breath and splashed some water in her face before she walked back out. What was she feeling? It didn't feel like anger, really. Close. When she sat, the waiter brought over a plate of sticky rice pudding. 

"We didn't order that." May said. 

"On the house." He replied. 

When he left, she turned to Peter. "Well, that was nice of him." 

"I think he larbs you." Peter replied. 

They all laughed. Whatever emotion Carissa had been feeling before was long gone now. Peter smiled at the girl, glad that she wasn't visibly upset. She had felt confused herself, though. Unsure of why her emotions were so scattered. She didn't like the feeling of not being in control. May looked back down at her plate as Peter and Riss both glanced at each other. Peter smiled at the girl, hoping she would smile back. He liked her smile. The way her eyes crinkled. He especially liked when she would scrunch her nose at him. 

Oh no.


	8. Chapter 8

New York was Carissa's favorite place in the world. Or at least that she had been to. It had been her favorite place to live and now it was her favorite to visit. It reminded her of her dad in the best ways, which sometimes she needed. She'd always wanted to travel around Europe, that would probably be her favorite place in the world when she gets around to it. Being with her (second) favorite person in the world made it even better. Still, she wanted Bucky there. Peter was only her second favorite. 

As much as Peter tried to fight it, he couldn't ignore the crush he was developing on Carissa. It had made itself apparent in the Thai restaurant and now he couldn't get it to go away. 

Peter was at some party, leaving Carissa to think by herself. 

"Get a suit." Tony had said. "A real suit. And a mask. Then you could be seen with Peter." 

She didn't think that would change anything. What was the point? Go everywhere with Peter? Trail him like a little puppy? What were the odds she'd fuck up and give up his identity? 

She didn't think that was the best idea. Plus, she was Captain America's daughter, mask or not. She was always recognizable considering the fact that she was an Avenger. They were all recognizable. 

She didn't think Tony had thought of that part. She couldn't afford to be the reason Peter's identity was given up. He'd hate her for it. But then again, Tony thought of everything. 

"Just call me when you need me." The girl had told him. He nodded before walking out of her makeshift room in the back of her camper. She had spent about an hour making it feel more like her room at home, but it didn't. Her dad wasn't here, so it wouldn't really be home. She wondered how things had been at home. Had her dad gotten a dog like she'd told him to? She wanted to call him but she promised she'd only call on her way home. So, she called the only other number in her phone that mattered. 

Peter stood by Ned. Ned looked up at him suddenly. 

"What's the deal with the girl?" He asked. 

"Carissa?" Peter asked. 

"Yeah, what's her deal?" 

"She's an old friend." Peter replied. 

"Oh?" Ned asked. "I know all of you friends." 

"Yeah, Ned. You knew her, too. She went to school with us in the seventh grade until she was pulled out by her dad." 

"She have a boyfriend?" 

Peter thought for a second. The technical answer was no, but there was no way he was about to tell Ned that. "Yes." He answered. 

"You hesitated." 

"N-no I didn't, Ned. I'm putting the suit on now." Peter said, walking out of the party. 

"Hey, Princess." Tony's voice rang through Carissa's phone. 

"Hey." She replied. 

"What's up?" 

"Well, Peter's at a party and I'm in my van. Couldn't afford to give up his identity, considering I've been seen with Spider-Man." She answered. 

"Speaking of Spider-Man, I made something for you." Tony said. No attempt at convincing me it'd be fine? No attempt at getting his way? Was Tony sick? 

"What?" She asked. 

"Web shooters. I figured even with the psionics it was hard to keep up with him." 

"I was actually gonna call you about that, I had just forgotten. Thanks, Tony." He really had thought of everything. 

"No problem, kid." He replied. "Keep your head up, Riss. He'll come back to you." 

With that, Tony hung up. Tony knew everything. Tony Stark was like God, if you believe in God. Carissa didn't, she believed in Tony. 

He'll come back to you. 

She sighed. She wanted Bucky back now. She wanted her dad. He was the only one who understood. But they also needed the separation. Every time she looked at her dad, she thought of him. Steve didn't see it that way, but she had. For Steve, she was the distraction but for her he was just a reminder. A setback. She felt bad saying that, thinking it. He didn't mean to be. He tried his best. She missed him, but not enough to go home. She just felt shitty about leaving him. 

She stood up only to sit back down. She didn't know what to do with herself. 

She buried her face in her hands before standing again. What the hell was she supposed to do? What could she do? Go home? 

She could go to sleep. She started up at the ceiling for a while. Apparently, she couldn't go to sleep. She pulled her phone out. Go home. She had to go home. 

To Peter🕸:   
Don't hate me but I have to go. I'm sorry. 

She didn't wait for a response. She turned the key to her van and just drove. 

Peter had felt his phone go off, but he was a little busy being dragged through the street to answer. He had to keep an eye out, watching for anything he could run into as his webs held onto the back of the white van for dear life. He wanted to call Carissa, but it was too late. 

After a few hours on the road, she called her dad. 

"Carissa?" He asked. 

"Hi, dad. I'm on my way home." 

"Already? It's only been a few days." 

"I know, I just can't do this. I need to be somewhere else. I don't know what to do." 

Steve sighed into the phone. "I know what you mean. Come home." 

"I'll be there soon. Go back to sleep, dad." 

She hung up the phone and continued to drive. 

Peter made his way back home as quickly as he could. He couldn't wait to tell Carissa what he'd seen. When he got there, her camper was gone. He finally pulled his phone out, reading her text. He wasn't happy, but he could never bring himself to hate her. 

She made it back to their temporary home by the time the sun was coming up. She knew he hadn't gone to sleep; She knew he hadn't been able to sleep. She parked her camper, running up the stairs to their apartment. Steve opened the door right as she reached it, pulling the small girl into him. He held onto her tightly, rubbing her back lightly. 

"I want to go home." Steve said into her hair. 

"What?" She asked as he released her. 

"I was thinking about it the whole time you were driving back. I want to go home." He told her. 

Home meant Brooklyn. He wanted to go back to Brooklyn, back to where he grew up with Bucky. Back to where she grew up. Back where he'd met her mom. Back where it all started. Where her story started. That was why she loved New York, but she had just left there. 

She shook her head. She couldn't handle seeing him heartbroken back home. 

"We have to." He told her. He knew why she was shaking her head. 

She just shook her head again. Steve frowned at the girl. 

"We can't hide from this forever." Steve told her. 

"You can try to." She replied. She was more stubborn than her dad. She could hide from anything, especially to prove a point. 

"I want you to be better than me." He said. Steve knew she already was, she always had been. She just handled things better. It came from a lot of practice, he guessed. 

She shook her head. "That's a lot of pressure to dump on your sixteen-year-old daughter." 

Steve smiled at his daughter. 

So, they headed back to Brooklyn. Back to the apartment she vividly remembered Nick Fury getting shot in. She vividly remembered chasing Bucky. She vividly remembered Sharon Carter busting through the door to aid Fury. It was like it was yesterday. It was vivid. 

Her room was still the same. The whole place had been. The pictures of her dad and Bucky still hung in the hallway, along with her own baby pictures. The holes from the gunshots were filled in and painted over, no evidence of the night left behind. She vividly remembered. 

Peter contemplated sending the text that sat in his drafts. He sounded desperate, but he missed her and he needed her help. 

From Peter🕸:   
Something big is happening. I need my partner back. Please come back to me. 

The words sent a chill down Carissa's spine. Peter sounded as desperate as she felt. Come back to me. She caved. Peter needed her just as she had needed him. 

He was all she had right now and she was all he had, all he wanted. The only distraction that didn't bring back painful memories, like her dad. She had been the only one who understood where he was coming from. She didn't want to take off again, but this time she was a lot closer. Peter hoped she was on her way, never receiving a reply. Peter was the only friend she had right now. Carissa was the only person he had ever clicked with. She had to go. She slipped back out the door and down to her van, looking back up into the window. Steve looked down at her, nodding. He knew she had to go. He knew she was needed. She sat in her van, headed towards Queens, but something had been missing. 

She needed her suit.


	9. Chapter 9

"I'm sorry, did you just hand me a mask just like the one they use in the Incredibles?" Carissa asked Tony. 

Tony nodded. "Matches the cat suit you're so famous for." He answered the girl. 

He had a point. It did. It had been awhile since she'd worn her cat suit, but now she stood in front of a full-length mirror, dressed in all black. She slid the web shooters onto her wrists. They were black, matching her entire ensemble. She smiled at the contrast against her light skin and bright hair. 

"How do I look?" She asked Tony. 

"Too good to be a sidekick." He replied. She smiled. 

"Good thing I'm not the sidekick. I'm the main show." She replied. Tony smiled and shook her head at her as her phone went off. 

From Peter🕸: 

Meet me at the ferry and don't tell Mr. Stark. 

Well, that didn't sound good at all. Sounded like they were in for some trouble. They always were, especially together. It wasn't a coincidence the one night Peter actually had to stop someone was the day she had showed up. 

Already being dressed made it easy to just get up and go. Of course, she was aware that was a bad (terrible was a more appropriate word) idea and she continued on her merry way with that in mind. Don't pressure her into drugs, she'd take them. She had the trip there to learn the web shooters and she had to figure out just the right way to blink so the mask wouldn't slip. She liked the look, but she felt like the female version of Dash. It'd be cool to be Violet, be all invisible and shit. When she finally made it to the ferry, it was falling apart. Oh, Peter. What the fuck have you done? 

Peter was waiting on the girl, not sure what was taking so long. He knew she was in New York; she had told him her dad wanted to move back. He was excited, of course. That meant she couldn't dip on him again. 

"What the hell happened?" She mumbled to herself upon getting out of the car. She had no idea where the hell Peter was until she heard someone start cheering for him. If only they knew exactly what they were cheering for. She rolled her eyes, sure that he'd caused the mess in the first place. He sat in the middle of the crumbling ferry, holding onto it with webs. It was ready to tear him apart, Carissa was sure of it. He was an idiot, but she had known that. Absolute idiot with now sense of- oh, god. He was like her dad. Jesus fuck so could never unsee that now. 

"A little help here?" He asked her. He watched her as he held the ferry together. Well, she'll give him that. Steve wouldn't ask for help. The girl nodded, lighting up like a Christmas tree. A red Christmas tree. The ferry lit up with red as she pushed the crumbling pieces together. Peter's webs started to break off, causing her to lose her grip on the pieces. He was, more or less, holding it all together. The pieces were too much for her to hold myself. 

Peter watched her struggle, trying to fire more webs off to catch the ferry. He was failing, every one of them breaking. 

"You were being more helpful than I thought. I can't hold it by myself." Carissa yelled to Peter. 

"Your eyes glow red when you use your powers." He yelled back. It wasn't relevant, but he thought it was cool. Scary, even. 

"How the fuck is that relevant right now?" Carissa yelled. 

He shrugged. "It's pretty. And kinda scary." Suddenly, the ferry pieces started to move back together beneath the two. 

"Holy shit, you're doing it!" Peter yelled. He was smiling at her, happy she had come back. 

"No, I'm not." She replied. She couldn't. Too heavy. Oh no. They were fucked. 

"I am." They'd heard a familiar voice say. 

"Shit." She mumbled to herself. They were definitely in trouble now. 

"Hi, Spider-Man. Band practice, was it?" Tony asked. 

"Oh, you're in trouble." Carissa teased Peter. She was relieved she hadn't lied about whereabouts. Peter, however, was screwed. He looked back at the girl momentarily, her amused face staring back. 

Tony put the ferry back together, being followed by Peter, who wanted to help. Riss stayed back, knowing better. 

"I think you've done enough." He told Peter. 

She followed Peter to a rooftop, where he sat off the edge. His mask was in his hand and his feet swung. He was worried, of course. She would be, too. They both saw Tony, on his way to rip him a new one. 

"You disappeared on me." Peter mumbled. Carissa looked down at him. 

"That's not the point right now, Parker." She replied. He was more upset with her than anything else? Really? 

Of course, he was. She had disappeared on him, no explanation. They didn't talk again until she told him she was coming back. He replied but never got a text back. She had just disappeared. 

Tony showed up right as she had finished the sentence. 

"Is everyone okay?" Peter asked. 

"No thanks to you." Tony replied. 

"Now wait a fucking minute." Riss interjected. 

"You either." Tony said. She was genuinely offended herself, but she was more offended on behalf of Peter. He'd held the ferry together, probably saving the life of everyone there. 

Carissa flipped him off as Peter stood up. "No thanks to me?" He asked. "Those weapons were out there and I tried to tell you about it, but you didn't listen. None of this would've happened if you had just listened to me. To us." He finished, pointing at the girl. "If you even cared, you'd actually be here." 

Oh, shit. No, no, no... He's here, Peter. She knew the difference between him talking through Friday and him in the suit. 

Tony stepped out of the suit, sending Peter scrambling back. Fuck. 

"I did listen, kid. Who do you think called the FBI? Do you know I was the only one who believed in you?" Tony said. 

"Try again." She interrupted. "Called the FBI? We needed you." 

"Everyone else said I was crazy to recruit a 14-year-old kid." He said. 

"I'm 15." Peter corrected. 

"No. This is where you zip it, all right? The adult is talking. What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? Because that's on you. And if you died, I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience." 

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry." Peter said. She glared at Peter. No backbone. None. Carissa flipped Tony off again. 

"Yes. Sorry doesn't cut it." He said. 

"I just wanted to be like you." Peter admited. 

"And I wanted you to be better." Tony replied. That was kinda what Steve had told Riss. She could feel the pressure Tony was putting onto Peter. Her eyebrows furrowed in anger. She was getting pissed quickly, like she had in the restaurant. 

"Okay, it's not working out. I'm gonna need the suit back." Tony said. She frowned. That was fair, made sense but still. Still wasn't sitting right with her. She was getting angrier with him as the conversation drew on. 

"For how long?" Peter asked. 

"Forever. And I'm taking the girl." Tony said, pointing to her. "You're done, too." 

"No." She told Tony. 

"It wasn't a question, Carissa." Tony replied. 

"This is all I have. I'm nothing without this suit." Peter said. 

Wrong thing to say, Parker. She sighed; her shoulders dropped. 

"If you're nothing without this suit, then you shouldn't have it, okay? God, I sound like my dad." Tony said. 

"Yeah. You do." She agreed with him bitterly. 

"I don't have any other clothes." Peter said. 

"Okay, we'll sort that out." Tony said. He turned to her. "You're with me." 

"Okay, Tony." She gave in. She was furious, but was trying to avoid it. 

He got Peter clothes and took him home. Carissa followed after Tony. 

"He saved all those people. He's a good kid, Tony." She told him. She was pissed. She was beyond pissed. 

"What the hell do you know?" He asked. "You're 15. He's 15. I think he's even older than you, Carissa." 

"He's my best friend, Tony." She replied. He wasn't trying to calm her down. If anything, he was making it worse. 

"You're done being his sidekick, Carissa." Tony told her. 

"I'm not a fucking sidekick." She yelled. 

Tony stopped walking. "You're done." He repeated. "You're done. Barnes wouldn't want you doing this shit." 

"Don't use that against me. What the fuck do you know?" She yelled. Her hands were starting to glow. 

"I'm using that against you. This stops here." Tony told her, taking notice of her glowing hands and eyes. 

She looked down at the ground. She couldn't stand to look at him right now. 

"It's over, Carissa." Tony said again. 

"I tried, Tony. I tried to be everything I'm supposed to be." She yelled at him. She kept walking. 

"Supposed to be?" He asked, walking after her. People watched as he chased her down the sidewalk, away from where he left Happy in the car. 

"The daughter of Captain America? Yes, Tony. I'm supposed to be. You want Peter to be better than you, right? What do you want from me?" 

"That's why you wanted the powers." He said. He ignored the question. 

"No shit, Tony." 

"We're all proud of who you've become, Riss." He said softly. "You didn't need to be enhanced, God! You're just as bad as your dad. Don't you see how its effecting you?' 

She shook her head. "You said it yourself. Bucky wouldn't be." 

Tony furrowed his brows. "I'm proud of you." 

She looked up at Tony. He shot her a signature half smile. She shook her head. 

"You don't act like it." She shot back. "I tried and you threw it in my face. If you cared so fucking much you would've stopped." 

"Stopped?" He asked. 

"Peter told me you could hear through the earpieces." She whispered. 

Tony's face softened. "Carissa-" 

"He's a good kid." She changed the subject. "He's my best friend, Tony." 

"I know, Riss. So are you." He told her. "You need to stop. You can't handle the power right now. It's seriously fucking you up." 

She shook her head at Tony again. There was nothing she could do. She knew he was right. She also knew better than to disobey Tony. She hated it, but her hands were tied. She knew Peter would be mad and he was allowed to be. He was allowed to be livid. She had more to lose than he did. 

Peter was on his own now. 

He sat in his kitchen, tears fresh in his eyes. He'd just lost the Stark Internship, he'd told May. It wasn't really a lie. He was more upset over the fact that Tony had taken Carissa. He didn't know what to do with himself, he needed her to be there to ground him. Part of him wished she never came back into his life. He knew how to live without someone who made it easier. 

In the span of a mere few days, he'd realized how badly he needed her.


	10. Chapter 10

Carissa was lucky to still have Peter after what had happened. The dreams still haunted her to this day. The detailed story she'd gotten about what happened left little to the imagination. 

"I could've helped him!" She screamed at Tony. 

"You had direct orders not to. It's my fault." Tony replied as guilt overcame his features. 

"Yeah. It is your fucking fault." The girl barked back. 

But it hadn't been. She felt it'd been hers. She had left, she could've gone back. It had been her fault. 

"Nothing is your fault." Peter had told her. 

Her fingertips stroked his cheek. "You could've gotten hurt. Worse. Fuck, Parker. You did get hurt." His face was cut up, eye was black. The rest of him was all bruised up. 

He didn't respond. His dark eyes looked back into hers. 

"Carissa?" He asked. 

"Just kiss me." She told the boy. 

And he did. Slow, passionate. He pulled away from her slowly, resting his forehead against hers. Looking into each other's eyes, the pair both started to laugh. 

"I could fall in love with you, Parker." She whispered. It was true, she could. They both could and they knew it. Part of her wanted to just as a part of him wanted her to. 

"But you're waiting. I understand, Riss. Bucky is your guy." Peter told her. 

"Thank you for being so understanding." She told him in a hushed voice. It hurt her to know that wouldn't change. 

That had been two years ago. She hadn't seen him much since, but they talked all the time. 90% of their camera rolls were facetime photos of the two of them. She missed him. He wasn't far away, but they didn't see each other much. He didn't call her for more help, he didn't call her to be on his side again and she didn't either. She wasn't sure why. Why were they so distant? 

Last she'd checked, that was his lock screen. A picture of them. It was still hers to this day. Peter made her wait more bearable, even if she didn't see him much. Her poor dad didn't have a distraction outlet. The long hair and beard look made it obvious he was slowly losing his mind. It'd only taken two years, but he was losing. 

"Nomad look." She commented. 

"You hate it?" He asked. 

"The opposite, dad. It suits you." She liked it on him. She liked the feel of her dad not giving a fuck. 

He smiled and nodded. 

"Let's go." He said. 

"Go?" She asked. 

"We gotta go get Wanda." He replied. 

Going to get Wanda included Natasha and Sam. She wasn't sure why they were getting Wanda. She wasn't complaining, considering the fact that it had been awhile since She'd seen them. In the two years since she'd gotten powers, she'd learned how to use them properly. She'd mastered them a hell of a lot faster than Wanda had, Tony told her, but it had taken a bigger piece of her. When Tony had made her sit out, he tried his best to come up with something to calm her mood swings. She hadn't really mastered them, really, but she was close. Or so Tony had thought. 

She ditched the mask and continued to sport her cat suit. The skin-tight black material clung to her body. Her long, light blonde hair contrasted against the shiny, dark material. She was on the jet with Nat, Sam and her dad. 

"How was Queens?" Nat asked her like it was recent. She hadn't seen Nat in a while, considering she had been on the run. 

The girl shrugged. "It wasn't bad, I guess." She replied. 

"How was the Spider?" Nat asked, nudging Carissa's arm lightly. 

She shook her head again. "He was okay. I haven't seen much of him since." 

"Something happen?" Nat asked. 

Carissa didn't reply as the memory of the kiss played in her head. She knew it was harder to mask feelings in person than it was over FaceTime. She thought maybe that was why she hadn't seen much of her best friend. She frowned. 

They landed in Scotland. Her phone chimed in her zipped pocket on her thigh. 

From: Peter🕸❤️   
I'm on a spaceship. 

To: Peter🕸❤️   
I'm in Scotland. She replied. 

She smiled at her phone before slipping it back into the pocket and zipping. She missed him so much more than she cared to admit. She loved him, but also didn't care to admit that.

Her middle finger rubbed over the web shooters that sat comfortably against her wrist and palm. 

She could've fallen in love with you, Parker. He tried to suppress his feelings, but it wasn't a could for him. 

A train station? Really? These people were so dramatic. The train passed, the closest thing to a dramatic entrance Steve could manage at this time. Carissa stood to the left of him as their enemy threw her weapon between them. Steve caught it. Sam flew from the left of the enemy, sending her out of the picture. Carissa met Wanda's gaze. The girls both gasped lightly, smiling at each other. Neither realized how much they'd missed the other. 

Steve threw the enemy weapon, hurling it towards Natasha. She caught it, using it against the other guy. 

Steve jumped in, saving Nat from getting taken out. 

"Little help here?" He yelled to Carissa. She raised her hands. The red illuminated around her hands, aiding her dad. Natasha's face coated in awe while Wanda's held concern for the girl. Sam almost flew into a wall as he watched her. 

She flung both of the enemies against the wall, leaving them laying on the ground before swinging over to meet her dad. Sam joined the blonde pair, guns pointed out. 

"Upgrades?" Sam asked the girl. She nodded. 

"We don't wanna kill you, but we will." Natasha said. 

"You'll never get the chance again." Their enemy replied. 

"We'll see." Carissa piped up. 

Blue lighting illuminated around them before they disappeared before the team's eyes. Steve looked down at her and she just shrugged. They turned, heading towards Wanda and Vision. 

"Thank you, Captain." Vision said. Wanda looked at the girl. 

And thank you. She said telepathically. 

Anytime. Carissa replied. 

"Let's get you on the jet." Steve replied to Vision. 

To: Peter🕸❤️   
From: My Riss🛸🤍   
We're leaving Scotland. We've got Wanda and Vision.   
From: Peter🕸❤️   
I miss you. 

Carissa froze. If you missed her why the fuck didn't she see you? 

"Where to, Cap?" 

"Home." Steve answered. 

Carissa looked down at her phone, her finger hovering over the send button. 

To: Peter🕸❤️   
I miss you, too. 

If you missed her so much, why the fuck hasn't she seen you?

The girl had no idea Peter was smiling at his phone, too, all the way in space. Wait, why was he in space? Peter was sitting in a large doughnut shit with Tony Stark and Dr. Strange. He was driving them crazy, being the usual idiot he was. He missed her more than he'd like to admit, but that was the usual with him. It drove him crazy avoiding her, but this was the best way. He respected her feelings for Bucky, so he decided to back off. That wasn't what Carissa had wanted, though Peter had no idea. He thought he was doing what was best for everyone involved. 

Back at the tower, the team ran into Rhodey, as to be expected. He was on the phone when they walked in. Carissa walked between her dad and Nat. 

"Mr. Secretary." Steve acknowledged. 

"You got some nerve. I'll give you that." 

"You could use some of that right now." Nat replied. 

"The world's on fire. And you think all is forgiven?" 

"I'm not looking for forgiveness." Dad replied. "And I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So, we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way we'll fight you, too." 

Carissa wanted to applaud her father but once sentence stuck out. 

"Best defender?" She asked. "Lost? Dad, where's Tony?" 

Mr. Secretary turned around. "Arrest them." He told Rhodey. 

"All over it." Rhodey replied. "That's a court-martial. It's great to see you, Cap." 

Steve took a step forward. "You too, Rhodey." He said, taking his hand. Nat walked forward. She hugged Rhodey. 

He looked up at the girl. "Hey, Riss." 

"Rhodey." She replied. She wasn't over the Tony thing. If Peter was in space, Tony was, too, right? Fuck, what where they doing? 

"Wow. You guys really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple years." 

"Thanks." She replied. She wasn't supposed to admit she and Steve had stayed behind. 

"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star." Sam replied. 

Bruce stepped in. "Uh, I think you look great." 

"Thanks, Bruce." Carissa replied, smiling at the man she hadn't seen in years. 

"Yeah, I'm back." He said to the room. 

"Hi, Bruce." Nat said. 

"Nat." Was all he said. 

"This is awkward." Carissa heard Sam whisper. 

"No shit." She replied. 

"I missed you, blondie." He admitted. 

The girl stuck out her bottom lip. "I missed you, too." 

"So, we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey asked. 

"And they can clearly find us." Wanda said. 

"You say that like we're hiding." Carissa replied. 

"We need all hands-on deck. Where's Clint?" Bruce asked. 

"After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal." Nat answered. 

"After the cells we were left in, I can't blame them." Riss added. 

"What's it like to be a criminal at 15?" Bruce asked. 

"Weird." She replied. "But then again, my jail experience wasn't like most." 

Sam shook his head. "Scared me when they said emergency surgery." 

"You weren't the one getting surgery." Riss replied. 

"Who's Scott?" Bruce asked. 

"Ant-Man." Steve said. 

"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Bruce asked. 

The mention of Peter threw the girl for a loop. Wanda sent her a look. She shook her head. Of course, she noticed. She wasn't gonna go digging through Riss's head without permission, she thought it was an invasion of privacy, which Riss was especially grateful for right now. 

"Okay, look. Thanos has the biggest army in the universe and he is not gonna stop until he- he gets Vision's stone." Bruce said. 

"Then we have to protect it." Nat said. 

"Against the biggest army in the universe?" Riss asked. "I think the fuck not." 

Dad shot her a look. The girl was seventeen, Steve. Leave her alone. 

"No, we have to destroy it." Vision said. "I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head. About its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source something very similar to its own signature, perhaps it's molecular integrity could fail." 

"Yeah, and you with it." Wanda replied. "We're not having this conversation." 

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it." Vision told her. 

"That's too high a price." Wanda said. 

"Only you have to power to pay it." Vision said. 

"No." Carissa interjected. "She isn't. And she won't." 

"Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him." Vision said. 

"But it should." Steve said. "We don't trade lives, Vision." 

"Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people?" 

"And look at where that got him, Vision." Riss replied. 

"Tell me, why is this any different?" Vision asked. 

"Because you might have a choice." Bruce said. "Your mind is made up of complex construct of overlays. Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them mixed together, all of them learning from one another." 

"You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda asked. 

"Like you aren't just your powers." Riss told her. 

"I'm saying that if we take out the stone there's still a whole lot of Vision left." Bruce said. 

"He isn't relying on the stone alone." Carissa added. "It leaves the rest of him behind." 

"Perhaps the best parts." Bruce said. 

"Can we do that?" Nat asked. 

"Not me, not here" Bruce replied. 

"Well, you better find someone and somewhere fast. Ross isn't just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back." 

Carissa turned around. "Dad?" She asked. 

He looked at his daughter before nodding. "I know somewhere." He said. They both did, but close enough. 

So, the team headed off to Wakanda. 

In Carissa's eyes, Wakanda meant Bucky.


	11. Chapter 11

In Carissa's eyes, Wakanda meant Bucky. Could she handle that? Does she tell him about Peter? No. Yes. Shit. Yes, of course she tells him. 

The whole ride there all she thought about was telling him. But she couldn't. Not now. But does it really matter? No, not really. It was a meaningless kiss. No, it wasn't. The jet landed. They walked out, being met with T'Challa. Riss walked behind Steve. Carissa wasn't sure what to do. How about she just doesn't tell him now? There's a space war going on. Now wasn't the time. 

"Should we bow?" She heard Bruce ask. 

"Yeah, he's a king." Rhodey said. Carissa bit her bottom lip. This was going to be great. 

"Seems like I'm always thanking you for something." Steve said. 

Bruce bowed. Carissa finally released her bottom lip, laughing at the man. 

"What are you doing?" Rhodey asked. 

Carissa smiled back at Rhodey, laughing at the expression on Bruce's face. 

They started walking again. This time, she was on Steve's right. 

"And a semi-stable 100-year-old man." Bucky's voice carried through to the girl. It was the end of whatever conversation was being held, but she didn't care. She watched as Steve wrapped his arms around Bucky as Natasha and Rhodey looked at the girl. She looked back at the two of them, but they both just continue to stare at me. 

"What?" She squeaked out. Natasha bit back a smile. Bucky heard the sound of her voice, releasing his old best friend. 

When Steve let Bucky go, she was directly in his line of sight. Bucky smiled, taking in her appearance. Her old cat suit fit her differently now. She was taller, but still almost a foot shorter than him and her hair was longer. 

"Carissa." He said. He watched as her eyes lit up. 

She sighed, relieved. He grabbed her hand, pulling her into him. She closed her eyes, burying her face in his chest. Nothing's changed. He let her go and they pull away from each other. His hand found its way under her chin, leading her to look up. Their eyes met and he smiled. 

"I missed you." He admitted. He didn't know much about her, but he knew he'd missed her. There was a lot he had left to learn about the girl. 

She smiled. "I missed you, too." She replied. She was breathless. 

His hand fell from her chin and slide into hers. Sam raised his hand up to his earpiece. 

"Hey, Cap, we got a situation here." Sam and Bucky both looked up. Carissa hadn't even noticed her dad walk away. 

A ball of fire hurled toward the force field. It hit, which made the small girl jump. Bucky placed a hand around her waist, holding her in place. 

"God, I love this place." He said. She smiled. He released her waist, placing his hand back on his gun. Her smile faded as the cool air hit the warm spot created from his arm. 

"Is it time yet?" She asked Rhodey. 

"Almost." He replied. 

"Rhodey." 

"Patience, little one." He said. She placed a hand on her hip and glared at him. Sam laughed. 

"You look like your dad when you do that." Rhodey said. 

Carissa faked a gasp. "I was going for Tony." She replied. Rhodey smiled at the girl. 

"Your web shooters ready?" He asked her. 

"Yeah. So are the psionics." She replied. 

"You should see her." Sam said to Bucky. "Your little girlfriend got upgrades." 

"Upgrades?" Bucky asked. 

"Girlfriend?" Riss asked. 

"Yeah, upgrades. Watch." Sam said. He picked up a rock lying next to him, throwing it at her. She lifted her hand, swatting it away. He pouted at the lack of her powers. 

"I'm not a show dog, Sam." She told him. 

"It's time." Rhodey said. 

"Watch this." She said. "Not a rock." 

Riss stood behind Steve, Bucky next to her as they all flew out. Down toward the edge of the barrier, they waited. Bucky looked down at the blonde. 

"Be careful." He said. 

She smiled. "Worried about me?" She asked. 

He smiled back at her. "Of course." 

"I'll be okay. Upgrades, remember? Just make it back to me." She whispered. 

"I will." He promised. 

"They surrender?" Bucky asked Steve as he was walking back from the barrier. 

"Not exactly." Steve replied. 

"You know, I could've sworn she was blue back in Scotland." Carissa told Steve. She wasn't really blue; she was like a sickly white color with blueish tinting. Odd. She wondered what color her blood was. Carissa would find out soon enough. 

"I thought so, too." He replied. 

"What the hell?" Bucky asked, in regards to what was happening outside the barrier. That was like his favorite saying. 

"Looks like we pissed her off." Nat said. 

"You think so?" Riss asked. 

Bucky raised his gun, shooting at the alien creatures when they made it through the barrier. 

"Then we better keep them in front of us." Steve replied upon being told they were all basically fucked if they got through the back. 

"We open the barrier." T'Challa said. 

Bucky turned to Riss. "Just make it back to me." He said. 

She nodded in agreement. He tucked his finger under her chin for the second time. This time, their lips connected. His hand tangled itself in her hair, deepening the kiss. 

Steve cleared his throat. "That's my daughter." He said. 

Hesitantly, Bucky pulled away. Steve leaned around Bucky. "Be careful, Riss." 

"I'll be fine, dad." She told him. 

"Wakanda forever!" T'Challa yelled. 

"Here we go." Riss mumbled. 

Everyone ran forward. Riss faced her palms to the ground, shooting a wave of energy out. Her eyes were glowing along with the outline of her entire body, neck down. She lift ed one hand to flip the switch on her earpiece before hovering up. 

"I told you she got upgrades!" Sam yelled. 

"Holy shit." Bucky mumbled. 

She levitated herself up over the crowd, Rhodey and Sam beside her in their suits. Landing, she aimed her hands toward the nearest set of alien dogs. They light up before exploding under the pressure of the psionics. She looked down at her hands with wide eyes. Her right hand continued to emit red energy as her left shot webs, entangling them together. 

"Riss." Sam said through the earpiece. 

She looked up. He hovered above her. She raised her hand, shooting a web to stick to his wings. He pulled her up, dropping her in the middle with Steve. 

"There, blondie. That's where you belong." Sam told the girl. 

"Front and center?" She asked. 

She heard a grunt from Bucky from her right. She spun around to see him pinned down to the ground by the alien dogs. Her hands lit up, flinging the alien bastard up in the air before falling again. Before she can shoot at it, something came flying through the air at Rhodey. She dropped the alien, attempting to web him before he fell. She failed, causing the webs to only pull her with him. She pulled against it, but failed. Steve threw the shield at the webbing to cut her off. 

"Riss!" She heard Steve yell. She turned around to see him getting ganged up on. He threw the shield, leaving him defenseless. He should've just let her hit into Rhodey. 

"Shit." She whispered. She lit up the creatures, applying more pressure until they popped. "Gross." She mumbled to herself. Their blood was a deep purple. 

"There's too many of them!" Bruce yelled. 

"Oh, god. Guys?" She whimpered. She looked around. Everyone was fighting and unfair fight. They were bound to lose. 

Feeling overwhelmed, the girl sank to her knees. The psionics radiated through her body, surging into the ground in a red wave. Everything went flying as the ground cracked. 

"What the hell was that?" Sam asked. 

"Sorry." She answered. 

"That was you?" Steve asked. 

Bucky watched the girl with concerned eyes. She was overwhelmed, tired. Every time she turned around someone was calling out for her. 

A multicolored light source flowed through the sky. An axe came barreling down, taking out a handful of the aliens in one throw. 

"Was that you, too, Carissa? What else can you do?" Sam asked. 

"No fucking way." She mumbled. 

"Language." Steve said. Literally fuck off, Steve. 

The light went away, leaving Thor with a raccoon and a tree. 

"What the hell?" She asked. 

"Watch your mouth." Steve said again. 

Bruce laughed. "You guys are screwed now!" 

Carissa found the strength to pull herself up off her knees. The sky got darker as Thor pulled all the lighting from it. She looked around. Carissa felt less overwhelmed, but they were still losing. 

"Well, that's helpful." She commented. 

Need a bit more help? A voice asked. 

She saw a flash of red in the corner of her eye. 

"Wanda!" She yelled. Carissa rushed over to her. Bucky and Steve watched her make her way to Wanda. Both were confused about what had just happened. 

"You were great." Wanda told Riss. 

"You're better." Riss replied. It wasn't true, according to Tony, but still. Riss was glad to have her. 

"Guys, we got a Vision situation here." Sam said. 

"Somebody get to Vision." Steve yelled through the earpiece. 

"I got him!" Bruce replied. 

"On my way." Wanda said. She moved to head to Vision, leaving Riss behind to fight. 

The chick that Carissa and Steve had both originally thought to be blue hit her, sending Wanda back down into the ditch she had created earlier. 

Carissa looked from their enemy to her. She jumped down, joining Wanda. She attempted to send the energy through her veins, but she couldn't. The big surge she'd sent on accident must've been too much. 

"What the hell?" She asked. 

Relax. Wanda told her. 

"He'll die alone. As will you." 

"She's not alone." Nat said. Nat looked up at Riss, joined by Okoye. 

The four girls ganged up on the alien chick. Riss webbed her hands, binding them together. It wasn't long before she broke the webbing, pulling Riss along with her. She pulled Carissa right into her as she drew back her newly-free hand, connecting it with the girl's nose. She heard a slight crack as her eyes watered and now, she was pissed as fuck. She could feel blood running from her nose. 

Proxima; 1 Little Blonde Girl; 0 

"Carissa! Get to Vision." Dad yelled. 

"I'm in the middle of something." She barked through gritted teeth into the earpiece. 

"Someone's dead." Sam commented, taking note of her tone. 

"Go, now." Steve replied in a sharp tone. 

Riss forced a surge of energy through her hands. Nothing came out the other end. 

"Damn it!" The girl yelled. "I'll be back for you, Proxima." Riss threatened. 

"I'll be waiting, little one." She replied. 

Carissa took off in Vision's direction, not bothering to wipe the blood dripping from her nose. 

Steve had already taken off the same way and she was hot on his trail, webbing her way along as best as she could. Steve beat her there, hitting the guy off of Vision. 

"Get out of here!" He ordered Vision. "Go!" 

Carissa watched as Steve got his ass kicked while she panicked trying to get the psionics back up. Her nose was still bleeding. 

"A little help here, kid?" Steve asked. 

"I'm fucking trying!" She yelled back. Finally, the red illuminated. "Fuck, finally." 

She lifted the guy up off of Steve. 

"What are you waiting for?" He asked. 

"All I can fucking do is lift him." She replied harshly. Wanda's voice sounded in her head. 

You're tired. All you can really do right now is lift him. 

That's so damn helpful. Riss replied. I liked it better when all I had to do was lift my hands and he was dead. 

Makes two of us. She said. I can't do that. 

"Kill him!" Riss yelled. Vision came up behind her, stabbing him. She dropped the body. "Thank you." She told him, dropping her hands. 

Vision hit the floor. Steve crawled over to him. 

"I thought I told you to go." Steve said. 

"We don't trade lives, Captain." Vision replied. 

Steve looked at Riss. "Go." He said. "You're bleeding." 

"Oh? Am I?" She asked sarcastically. She wiped her nose, smearing her blood, walking back in the direction of the fight, Steve right behind her. He stopped. 

"Everyone, on my position. We have incoming." Steve said into the earpiece. 

Carissa stopped dead in her tracks. "He's here." She said. 

"Eyes up. Stay sharp." Steve said, advancing towards Thanos. 

Purple illuminated Steve, sending him spiraling to the girl's right. He took down T'Challa followed by Sam. It was like dominos. Carissa and Wanda stayed planted. 

Vision attempted to convince Wanda it was time. Riss finally moved from her position next to Wanda, rushing toward Thanos. She lit up her hands, but he stopped her. She levitated there, encased in purple. 

"The Captain's daughter." He said. Then, he threw her up. Like her dad had, she went spiraling. Up over the trees, unable to stop herself. She panicked. If you go up, you have to back down. 

"Sam!" She heard Steve yell through the ear piece. 

"On it!" Sam replied. Bucky heard the commotion, heading in the same direction as everyone else. 

"Wait!" Carissa yelled. She didn't have to fall anymore. The red started to engulf her hands. She stopped myself from going up, throwing her body back down. Part way through her fall, her psionics gave up on her. They were tired again. Thinking as fast as she could, she shot a web. It stuck to a tree branch, abruptly stopping her three feet from the ground right in front of Bucky, watching as he lit up purple before he was flung away. She panted hard, holding onto the web as tightly as she could before she lowered herself down to the ground, following after him. 

"Are you okay?" She asked. 

He nodded. "Are you?" 

She nodded. "I'm fine." She was out of breath, blood smeared on her face from my nose and other tree branches scratching her face. 

"I came back to you." He said, pulling leaves out of her hair. He dragged his thumb across the blood by her nose. 

She smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, you did." She was still panting, her lips chapped. 

She turned to see Steve struggling against Thanos. She stood, the red glow holding back the same hand Steve had. She helped him in pushing against Thanos, but it was no use. Her powers were weak. They only grew weaker as Thanos pushed against her, the red fading again. He raised his other fist before connecting it with Steve's face. She looked around. 

"This is what it looks like to lose." She mumbled. Her eyes watered as she bit down on her bottom lip. She felt sick. Her heart and mind were racing, seeing who could be the fastest. She was overall terrified. 

She noticed Wanda attempt to push him back, just like she had. One hand against Thanos, the other facing Vision. She raised her hands in one final attempt to help. Once again, he pushed against Riss. He pushed against Wanda. Finally, the stone burst. Wanda, Thanos and Riss all flying back. Thanos stood before the girls could. Carissa's body ached as did Wanda's. Wanda had been considerably closer to the blast. Closest. 

Carissa forced herself halfway off the ground. Wanda and Riss held eye contact, both shaking. Their eyes were glossed over. Green illuminated Thanos's hand. 

"No!" Riss yelled. "Wanda! The time stone." 

Carissa forced herself onto her elbows, webbing his arm in place. Webbing from both of her wrists coated his hand. He pulled, dragging her across the ground as he put Vision back together, as he'd only been moments ago. 

"Wanda!" She yelled again. Her voice was coated in sobs. All of Wanda's emotion filled her, as well as Vision's. She'd opened up a new component to her power. She was still being dragged, attempting to pull against him still. As tears ran down her pink cheeks. 

Wanda looked up. 

"No!" She screamed, getting up. Thanos hit her back with the hand Carissa had webbed, sending both of the girls flying. She landed on the ground as Riss hit into a tree. She slid down, landing flat on her ass. Her right hand flew straight to her ribs on the left side, the ones Bucky had broken two years ago. 

"Wanda!" Riss turned to face her. She wasn't moving. Nobody was. Thanos ripped the stone out of Vision, causing him to turn grey. She watched in horror as he hit the ground, lifeless. Thanos added the last stone to the gauntlet. Carissa stared at Vision with hallowed eyed. Her eyebrows furrowed as she gasped lightly. 

Blue lighting came crashing down. 

Thor. A flicker of hope dared to enter body as she continued to stare down at Vision. 

Thor's axe came barreling down, landing right in Thanos's chest. 

"I told you you'd die for that." Thor said. 

"You should have gone for the head." Thanos said. 

"No, Thor." She called, but it barely came out a whisper. 

"No!" Thor yelled as the snap rings out. Everything went white. 

Carissa started rocking herself lightly, mumbling the old lullaby her mom would sing to her. It was her only coping mechanism. 

"What'd you do? What'd you do?" Thor asked. 

Thanos raised his hand, opening the same portal he came here in. Then he was gone. 

Steve came out, holding his side. 

"Carissa?" He asked, taking in the image in front of him. His daughter looked broken, like the shell of a person. She'd seen so much today he could never help her to unsee. 

"Dad." She whispered, looking up at him. He lowered to her level, pulling his daughter into him. He held her tightly, running his hand through her hair. 

"Where'd he go?" Steve asked Thor from the ground. He didn't dare let that girl go. "Thor. Where'd he go?" 

"Steve?" Bucky asked. His body was slowly becoming dust. Carissa unburied herself from Steve, moving to stand. "Riss." He smiled before hitting the ground, completely turning to dust, out of her sight. He was gone, just like that. He was gone all over again. 

"Bucky!" She screamed. Steve stood, grabbing her by the waist before she hit the ground. He pulled her into him as tightly as he could, burying her face into his chest. "Bucky." She cried into him. 

Steve couldn't even process what he'd just witnessed. He'd never seen his daughter in such a broken state. He released her slowly, passing her over to Thor. Thor assumed the position Steve had been in moments ago. 

"Dad?" She asked in a broken whisper. Steve lowered his hands to the ashes that were once Bucky. 

"Carissa." A voice whispered. 

"No. No, Wanda." The girl said softly, scrambling down to her. She was gone before Riss even made it to her. Her dust flying away in the wind. Carissa let out a whimper. 

"Bucky. Wanda." She whispered to herself. sudden sick feeling overcame the girl. "Peter." 

Peter. 

She pulled her phone out of her zipped pocket, surprised to see it in one piece. Her shaking hand typed in the number she knew by heart. 

Dialing: Peter🕸❤️   
Voicemail full. 

"Please, Parker." She begged. "Please." 

She watched Steve roll Vision over. Natasha came running. 

"What is this? What the hell is happening?" Rhodey asked. 

"He won." Riss whispered. 

"Oh, God." Steve said. 

"We lost." Riss continued. 

They lost because they didn't have Tony. The world went to shit because it didn't have Tony.


	12. Chapter 12

There was a big difference between knowing something in your gut and it being confirmed right in front of you. Carissa was currently face to face with that difference. 

The compound shook as the ship had landed. The team all ran outside. The ship landed in front of them, Steve ran to meet Tony. Carissa wasn't far behind. 

"Couldn't stop him." Tony said. 

"Neither could I." Steve responded. 

No Peter. Where was Peter? The girl's eyes watered as her hands shook. Her best friend wasn't returning from space. 

She knew that. The familiar sound of Wanda's voice told her. Carissa missed Wanda. She missed them all. The little voice in her head now adopted her voice, which had been growing more and more faded as the days dragged on. 

"Hang on." Tony said, stopping Steve. He looked straight into his eyes. "I lost the kid." He said. 

Carissa felt nauseous. Her heart sank into her stomach as it twisted. 

But she had already known that. 

She had talked about the difference between feeling and knowing. Here it was. Thinking it was true didn't make her want to shrivel up and die like knowing did. That was all she wanted now. She wanted to curl up into a ball and fade away. 

"Tony, we lost." Steve corrected him. 

That's right. They had all lost to some degree or another. They were all torn apart inside from the events that had taken place. 

"Is uh..." Right as Tony started, Pepper ran up. "Oh, good." He said at the sight of her. 

"Oh, my God!" She exclaimed. She pulled him into a hug as she started crying. Carissa looked back at Natasha. She walked over, linking their arms before walking back into the compound. Riss was jealous. Tony got his happy ending with Pepper. Where was hers? This shit was rigged, the girl was sure of it. 

"It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth." Rhodey announced. 

"That's it?" The girl whispered. Her voice was at its max volume, she had been surprised it had even come. 

"World governments are in pieces." Natasha added. 

"Add me to that list." She mumbled. 

Sam's picture flashed across the screen, followed by Wanda's. The girl flinched at the sight of both. When Peter's popped up, Tony met her eyes. The desperation in them mirrored hers. He had let his guard down, released a minimal amount of raw emotion. He looked down at the floor as she had turned back to the screen. 

Nick Fury's image came up a few after Peter's. 

"He took out Fury." She noted. Only other person she knew that could do that much damage was Bucky. Or, rather, The Winter Soldier. Her lump formed in her throat just thinking about her. 

Natasha was still talking, but she didn't hear a word. She couldn't. Not until Tony started up. She'd always listened to Tony, no matter what was going on in that pretty little head of her's. Especially now as the two felt the same pain. 

"Where is he now? Where?" Tony asked. 

"We don't know." Steve replied. 

"Can we find out?" Carissa asked. She still stared at the screen, her voice was soft and broken. Her hands shook as she wrapped her arms around her waist as if she were holding herself together. 

"He just opened a portal and walked through." Steve continued. 

"That's how he showed up and left." She added. "After taking everything away from us." 

"What's wrong with him?" Tony asked, pointing at Thor. 

Carissa leaned down to meet his ear. "Thanos killed Loki." She whispered. 

"Oh, he's pissed." Rocket answered. "He thinks he failed. Which, of course, he did but there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?" 

"Honestly, until this exact second I thought you were a Build-A-Bear." Tony said. 

Any other day that would've had the blonde girl rolling on the floor. This wasn't a normal day. She was pretty sure she'd never have a normal day again. She was sure of it, but she didn't expect anything less. The Build-A-Bear raccoon was right. They failed. They all failed miserably. 

"Maybe I am." Rocket replied. 

"We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now." Steve said. 

"With no turn-out." Carissa added. "Obviously." 

"Deep space scans and satellites and like Carissa said, we got nothing. Tony, you fought him." Steve continued. 

Tony looked over at him. "Who told you that? I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street magician gave away the stone. That was what happened. There was no fight, because he's not beatable." 

She started to hyperventilate. Iron Man couldn't fight him. Captain America couldn't fight him. Thor couldn't fight him. In her seventeen years of life, she'd never seen something they couldn't beat. 

"Did he give you and clues, and coordinates, anything?" Steve asked. 

"Uh...I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming." Tony answered. 

"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus." Steve said. 

"He's been in space for weeks, dad. What the hell do you want from him?" She intervened. 

"And I needed you." Tony replied. "As in, past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late, buddy. Sorry. You know what I need?" Tony began to stand. "I need a shave. And I believe I remember telling all youse..." 

"Tony, Tony!" Rhodey tried as a Tony ripped the IV out. 

"...alive and otherwise, that what we needed was a suit of armor around the world. Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That's what we needed." Tony continued. 

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" STeve asked. 

"I said we'd lose. You said, 'We'll do that together, too'. And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the 'Avengers'. We're the Avengers, not the Pre-vengers'." 

"Okay." Rhodey told Tony while holding him up. 

"Right?" Tony asked. 

"You made your point. Just sit down, okay?" Rhodey tried. 

"Please." She pleaded. But he did. He made his point. 

"Okay. No, no here's my point. You know what? She's great by the way." He said, pointing to the blonde Riss didn't recognize. 

"Tony, you're sick. Sit down." Rhodey continued trying. 

"We need you. You're new blood. Bunch of tired old mules. I got nothing for you, Cap. I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust, liar." Tony ripped the rector off. "Here, take this. You find him, you put that on, you hide. Your daughter hides." Then Tony went down. 

"Tony!" Steve yelled. 

"I'm fine." Tony said. "Let me..." Then he went down, out. 

"Carissa." Natasha called. She looked up at Nat. She motioned for Riss to go over to her as they got Tony into the bed. No matter how old she was, Nat would always treat her like the child in the room. Most would hate it, she found it extremely comforting. Riss needed someone to pull her away from the bad shit every once in a while. 

"Bruce gave him a sedative. He's probably gonna be out for the rest of the day." Rhodey told us. 

Carol spoke next. "You guys take care of him and I'll bring him a Xorrian elixir when I come back." 

"Where are you going?" Steve asked her. 

"To kill Thanos." She replied. 

"Hey." Nat called. "You know, we usually work as a team here and, uh, between you and I, morale's a little fragile." 

"We realize up there is more your territory, but this is our fight, too." Steve added. 

"You even know where he is?" Rhodey asked. 

"I know people who might." Carol said. 

Nebula walked in, joining the conversation. "Don't bother. I can tell you where Thanos is." 

"And you're telling us now?" She asked. 

Nebula told her story and told them about his retirement plan. He sat in the garden, pulling a smart ass comment out of Rhodey. 

"That's cute. Thanos has a retirement plan." Rhodey commented. Tony couldn't be the smart ass in the room, and Riss didn't have the strength. Only fitting. 

"So, where is he?" Steve asked. 

"In the garden. Weren't you listening?" Riss sarcastically replied. Maybe she had the strength for one comment. You could never say she gave up. 

"When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions. No one's ever seen anything like it. Until two days ago, on this planet." Rocket pulled up a green planet. 

"Thanos is there." Nebula said. 

"He used the stones again." Natasha said. 

"What are we waiting for?" She asked. 

"Hey, hey, hey." Bruce started. "We'd be going in shorthanded; you know?" 

"That's assuming he even fights back. He's alone." Riss said. 

"We don't know that." Bruce replied. 

"Look, he's still got the stones, so..." Rhodey stepped in. 

"So, let's get them." Carol said. 

"I agree with her." Carissa responded. 

"Use them to bring everyone back." Carol finished. 

"Just like that?" Bruce asked. 

"Yeah. Just like that." Steve said. 

She shook her head. "No. Nope. Sorry, doesn't work that way. It's gotta be more complicated." 

"Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this...I mean, we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try." Natasha said. 

"If we do this, how do we know it's gonna end any differently than it did before?" Bruce asked. 

"Because before you didn't have me." Carol responded. 

"Hey, new girl?" Rhodey responded. "Everybody in this room is about that superhero life. And if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?" 

"Space. Weren't you listening?" She replied to Rhodey. 

"There are a lot of other planets in the universe." Carol replied. "And unfortunately, they didn't have you guys." 

Thor stood up, gaining everyone's attention as he walks up to Carol. He lifted his hand, pulling his axe to him. It brushed right by her. Carol showed no reaction. 

"I like this one." Thor said. 

"Let's go get this son of a bitch." Steve said. 

Riss clapped her hands together. This fucker was gonna pay. Roll title sequence. 

They were suited up and on the ship. Riss had never been in space before but she soon found out she wasn't the only one. Cute. 

When asked, Steve, Nat and Rhodey raises their hands along with the blonde. 

"You better not throw up on my ship." Rocket said. 

"I don't throw up." She reassured the raccoon. 

"Approaching jump in three...two, one." Nebula counted down. 

The flash of color they rushed through was mesmerizing. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was amazing. When she looked back, Steve was holding his compass. Riss hated that damn thing. She always had. 

"This is gonna work, Steve." Natasha promised. 

"I know it will." Steve replied. 

"It's not this easy." The girl mumbled to herself. "Never fucking has been." 

"'Cause I don't know what I'm gonna do if it doesn't." Steve admited to Nat. 

"I'm more worried about what she might do." Nat replied. 

Riss couldn't see them anymore, but she knew that was in reference to her. 

Carol came back up to the ship. "No satellites. No ship. No armies. No ground defenses of any kind. It's just him." 

She turned around to Bruce. "I told you." 

"And that's enough." Nebula responded to Carol. 

It's a pretty planet. Riss could see why he would retire here. Carol stormed in first, blasting him from afar, flying through the wall to his little shack. 

Rhodey flew in next, holding his arm as Carol attempts to pull the gauntlet off. Thor burst in next, chopping his hand off. 

He was groaning as Riss walked in behind her dad. 

Rocket flipped the hand over to see that the stones were gone. 

"I fucking knew it." Riss whispered. 

"Where are they?" Steve asked. 

"Answer the question." Carol demanded calmly. 

"Where the fuck are they?" Riss barked less calmly. 

"The universe required correction." Thanos said. "After that, the stones served no purpose, beyond temptation." 

"You murdered trillions!" Bruce exclaimed. Riss was glad she wasn't the only one slightly hysterical. 

"You should be grateful." Thanos replied. 

"For what?" Riss snapped. "You killed my best friend. You killed my dad's best friend." 

"Her boyfriend." Bruce added. 

"More or less. Not the point." Riss replied. 

"Where are the stones?" Nat asked. 

"Gone." Thanos replied. "Reduced to atoms." 

"You used them two days ago!" Bruce replied. 

"I used the stones to destroy the stones." Thanos said. 

"No." The girl whispered. "No, no, no." 

"It nearly killed me." Thanos continued. 

"Good." Riss replied. 

"But the work is done. It always will be. I am inevitable." 

"We have to tear this place apart. He had to be lying!" Rhodey said. 

"My father is many things." Nebula said. "A liar is not one of them." 

"Thank you, daughter. Perhaps I treated you too harshly." 

And those were his last words as Thor swung his axe over his head, using it to behead Thanos. 

"What?" Banner asked. 

"What did you do?" Rocket asked. 

"What we should've done three weeks ago." She answered. 

"I went for the head." Thor replied. Riss watched as he walked out before turning to face Steve. 

That was the last time she saw Thor. 

The next five years went by really slowly. Tony had settled down, having a child. Sweet little Morgan. Although the blonde pair hadn't talked in two years, Riss knew her dad has his group meetings, Natasha has her little meetings with Carol, Rhodey, Rocket and others. Any amount of control they could have over their lives, they took. 

Riss was twenty-one now, but still looked the same as she had five years ago. Because of the Super-Soldier serum in her body from Steve, she hadn't physically aged much and probably won't for a few more years. Her mom had been a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. She was the product of strength and smarts. She was also sneaky and quick, two things she'd gotten from my mom, Candace. 

She climbs out of the driver's seat of her car, which was now sitting in the driveway of Stark's beautiful home. She'd traded out her old camper for a new 2007 dark grey beetle. Stark's cabin had a lake in the back and trees surrounding. 

"Miss Morgan Stark?" She asks, walking into the yard. She could see Morgan's blue tent from the car. 

Tony comes out right behind her. "Hey, Riss." He pulls the girl into a tight hug before walking along with her. He claps rhythmically. "Chow time." He calls. 

He got to the tent, leaning down towards it. "Maguna." He calls. "Morgan H. Stark, want some lunch?" He asks. 

Finally, the small girl emerges from the tent. "Define lunch or be disintegrated." She says, pointing a little blaster glove towards Tony while wearing Pepper's mask. Riss remembered Tony showing her while he was designing it. 

"Okay." Tony replies. "You should not be wearing that, okay? That is part of a special anniversary gift that your Auntie Rissy was helping me with." He pulls the mask off of Morgan. 

"There you go. You thinking about lunch?" He asks the small girl. She leans down to the small girl's level. 

"I know I am." She says softly into her ear. 

"I can give you a handful of crickets on a bed of lettuce." 

"Tasty." She replies. 

"No." Morgan responds to Tony. 

"That's what you want. How did you find this?" He asks about the mask. 

"Garage." Her adorable voice replies. 

"Really?" He asks. "We're you looking for it?" 

"No." She replies. "I found it, though." 

"You like going in the garage, huh? So does daddy." He replies to her, picking her up. "It's fine, actually. Mom never wears anything I buy her." 

Riss laughs at Tony's response and walks behind them. 

"Hi, Auntie Rissy." 

"Hi, sweetie." She replied to the small girl. 

Riss hears a car door shut, pulling her attention away from Morgan. Steve stands in the driveway with Nat and Scott. 

"What the hell?" Riss asks. 

"Don't know." Tony says. 

Ris follows him up to the porch. He and Nat nods at each other. He takes Morgan and put her inside before coming back out to the porch. Riss was glad he was quick, staring at them was awkward. 

"Hey, dad." Riss greets. 

"Carissa." He replied coldly. 

Then Scott and Steve did a pitch for time travel. 

"We know what it sounds like." Scott says. 

"Tony, after everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?" Steve asks. 

"But does it compare to time travel?" She asks. 

"Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale which triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that? In layman's terms, it means you're not coming home." Tony says. 

"But what if there was a way we could?" She asks. 

"Which side are you on?" Tony asks. 

"The side that gets Bucky and Peter back." She replies. 

"I did." Scott says. 

"No." Tony replies. "You accidentally survived." 

"Then let's do that on purpose." Riss says. 

"It's a billion-to-one cosmic fluke." Tony tells Riss. 

"Meaning we have a chance." She counters. 

"Barely. You're crazy." Tony says before turning back to Scott. "And now you wanna pull a... What do you call it?" 

"A time heist?" Scott answers. 

"Yeah, a time heist. Of course." Tony says, obviously amused. "Why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable. Because it's a pipe dream." Tony replies. 

"No, Tony. It's a chance." She says. 

"You're being reckless." Tony tells her. 

"The stones are in the past." Steve says. "We could go back; we could get them." 

"We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everybody back." Nat says. 

"Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?" Tony replies. 

"I don't believe we would." Steve says. 

"I don't know if we can." Riss tells Tony. She knew what he was referring to and she couldn't see that happening. They wouldn't let anything happen to the little girl. Carissa wouldn't. 

"Gotta say it. Sometimes I miss that giddy optimism. Carissa didn't really get that trait. However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist. I believe the most likely outcome will be our collective demise." Tony says to Steve. 

"Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel." Scott says. "All right? It means no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events." 

Tony puts his hand up. "I'm gonna stop you right there, Scott. Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back to the Future? Is it?" 

"No." Scott replies. 

"Good. You had me worried there. That's not how quantum physics works." Tony tells him. 

"Tony." Nat says. "We have to take a stand." 

"After what happened last time?" Riss asks. 

"We did stand. And yet, here we are." Tony says. 

"I got thrown into a tree. I broke three ribs and my nose, exhausted my powers and still lost. Tony got stabbed with his own tech and got hit with a whole fucking planet and still lost. Dad got his ass kicked and still got up, still lost." Riss argues. 

"I know you got a lot on the line." Scott says. "You got a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me. A lotta people did. Right, Carissa? And now, now we have a chance to bring her back...to bring everyone back, and you're telling me that you won't even..." 

"That's right, Scott. I won't even." Tony replies. "I can't." 

Carissa's eyes never leave Scott. Her. He lost someone very important to him. The door opens and closes. Then Riss hears Morgan's voice. 

"Mommy told me to come and save you." She told Tony. 

"Good job. I'm saved." He tells her before looking back up at Scott. "I wish you were coming here to ask me something else. Anything else. I'm honestly happy to see you guys, and I'm sure Carissa is too, Cap. I just...Oh, look table's set for six." 

Steve stops him. "Tony. I get it. And I'm happy for you. I really am. But this is a second chance." 

"I got my second chance right here, Cap. Can't roll the dice on it, not like you're willing to do. You don't get it. Your second chance comes for dinner here twice a week, and hasn't spoken to you in two years." He sighs. "Look, if you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch. Carissa, are you staying tonight?" Tony asks. 

Steve looked over at her with sadness in his eyes. He missed his daughter, but didn't want to have to admit it. Everything Tony had said was true and Steve knew it. He'd gotten a second chance and a half with Riss and had wasted it. He wished he could turn back the clock to fix it. 

"Uh, I'm gonna go with my dad, Tony. I'll see you next week." She answers. Tony hugs her before she follows the three of them off the porch. 

"Well, he's scared." Nat tells Steve. 

"Rightfully so." Riss replies. 

"He's not wrong." Steve says. He was shocked when Riss said she'd tag along with them. There was a lot the blonde pair needed to talk about. 

"Yeah, but, I mean, what are we gonna do?" Scott asks. "We need him. What, are we gonna stop?" 

"No, I wanna do it right." Steve says. We're gonna need a really big brain." 

"Bigger than his?" Scott asks. 

"Bigger than his." Riss agrees. 

Steve looks at her. "I've missed you." He finally admits out loud. 

"But you didn't call." She replies before climbing into the car. She opted for leaving hers there. "And I'm sure you're only saying that because of what Tony said. Save it." She adds once she sat. She knew she was being harsh, maybe even unreasonable, but she didn't care. 

They sat in the restaurant with Bruce. Smart Hulk. None of them knew anymore. 

"Come on, I feel like I'm the only one eating here." He said to the four of them. "Try some of that. Have some eggs." He offers. 

"Uh, no thanks, Bruce. I don't like eggs." Riss replies. 

"I'm so confused." Scott says. 

"They're just eggs, dude. Not that complicated." Riss jokingly replies. Natasha smiles at her. 

"These are confusing times." Bruce replies 

"Right, no, no. That's not what I meant." Scott says. 

"Nah, I get it. I'm kidding!" Bruce says. "I know, it's crazy. I'm wearing shirts now." 

"What size?" Riss asks. She was genuinely curious. 

"Yeah." Scott says. "What? How? Why?" 

"Five years ago, we got our asses beat. Except it was worse for me. I lost twice. First, Hulk lost, then Banner lost and then, we all lost." 

Worse for you? Debatable. Try me. Carissa thought. 

"No one blamed you, Bruce." Nat says. Her face contorted in confusion. It was my fault. She thought. Riss fought the urge to roll her eyes. Every one of them thought that. 

"Nobody blames you, either, Natasha." Rissa says out loud. Nat sends her a look. 

Get out of my head. She tells the blonde. The blonde shrugged in response. She didn't like using that power, but sometimes she couldn't avoid it. Their thoughts were loud. 

"I did. For years, I've been treating the Hulk like he's some kind of disease... something to get rid of. But then, I started looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in the gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together and now, look at me. Best of both worlds." Bruce tells Nat. 

Kids start walking up to Bruce, asking for a picture. After an awkward few minutes of Scott asking if they wanted one, the group went back to the serious topics. 

"It's okay, Scott. We can take a picture later." Riss promises him. 

"I feel like that'll be more of me getting one with you than you getting one with me." He replies. 

"Yeah. It will be." Riss confirms. 

"About what we were saying." Steve tries to get back on topic. 

"Right. The whole time travel do-over?" Bruce asks. "Eh, guys, it's out of my area of expertise." 

"Well, you pulled this off." Nat says. "I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible, too." 

Bruce looks from Nat over to Riss. She nods in agreement. 

They left, walking back out to the car and driving back to the compound. It felt weird to be in the compound, considering the fact she'd been avoiding it for two years. Tony had successfully avoided the place like the plague. 

"Can we talk?" Steve asked, walking into her old compound room. 

"Sure, why not." She replies. He walks in, sitting on her bed. 

"I haven't seen or heard from you in.." 

"Two years, dad. Two years." She finishes for him. He knew that. Tony had said it. 

"Why?" Steve asks her. 

"Why didn't you call me?" She asks, flipping the subject around. 

"I figured you wanted space after..." 

"After that nasty fight we had?" She asks. Steve nods. 

"I see you and Tony maintained your relationship." Steve says. 

"I go over there once a week, dad. Sometimes more. I have my own room there and everything." She tells him. A few months ago, I lived there. But you wouldn't know that." 

Steve sighs. "Can we be okay again? I need my daughter's help." 

"You need my help or you need me?" She asks. "I could pull a Tony and tell you about how I needed you, but I won't." She was being harsh. A little too hard on him. 

"I need you." He replies. He deserved her sharp words and cold tone. He kept his voice neutral. "We both lost someone very important to us. Just so happens to be the same person." 

"So now you want to admit that we're both hurting?" She asks. She fought against the urge to sift through his head. She didn't want to go digging for how he really felt, she wanted him to express it. It bugged her that he'd always shut her out, but she never exactly invite him in. 

He nods. "It was unfair of me to tell you your feelings." He knew she was hurting. He knew that she was hurting the most, considering how she could feel everyone's feelings and hear everyone's thoughts. He'd forgotten at the time, not realizing the weight her powers put on her. He remembered when he'd found out for herself. 

She'd been upset after coming home with Tony, yelling and throwing her hands up. The pictures on their walls went flying up before falling. She stopped, closing her eyes. She waited for Steve to start yelling, but he didn't. He just walked away from her to call Tony. Tony had answered quickly, Steve straight away screaming at Tony. 

Tony told him to think about why she'd done it. She'd felt nothing but this unbearable pressure from just her own name. She had big shoes to fill. Tony was more pissed at Steve for that than Steve could ever be at him. The two hung up quickly, not speaking again until they had to. 

"I shouldn't have been so insensitive. He was your best friend." She tells him. It was true, he was her dad's best friend. She never once took his feelings about that into consideration, despite them being intermixed with her own. She hadn't realized the toll the powers took on her, making her feel any emotion double that of average. 

"I don't know how I feel about you and Bucky." He admits. She knew this, but she didn't really care. She didn't want to receive the same lecture all over again. 

"I'm not asking, dad. Bucky isn't either." She replies. 

"I know." He says. "I guess I don't have a say. You're grown now." He stands, making his way to the door. He wanted her to be happy, even if Bucky was too old for her. Steve thought about how much the ice would make his aging slow, meaning Bucky was younger than Steve now. Steve wasn't sure how he felt about that. 

"I love you, dad." She blurts out. It was something they didn't say much. They just didn't, it wasn't their relationship. 

"I love you, too, Rissa. Get some sleep." 

He walks out of the room. She looks up at her wall, seeing the board she had put up the night they moved into the compound. It had been a few months after the snapping. The board was full of pictures of Riss and Peter from years ago. She had cried while putting it up, pausing every once in a while to catch her breath. It's been seven years since the fight in Germany, where she'd met Bucky, not the Winter Soldier, and reconnected with Peter. It was odd to say that much time had passed. It felt like it was yesterday when she'd fallen from the shoulder of Scott Lang, landing her in a prison cell. 

Down on the bottom right corner sat one picture that was different from the rest. A picture of Riss and Bucky, taken by Steve, in Wakanda. Her eyes lit up as she smiled up at him. It was after she had jumped from the impact of the barrier being hit. His hand still rested on her waist. She didn't know a picture had even been taken, let alone by her dad. She frowns at the picture now. 

What was once a happy memory faded to dust.


	13. Chapter 13

'My dad is my hero' is a phrase we've all heard, right? Or maybe have even said ourselves. 

Steve's best friend was Carissa's hero. Not Bucky. She meant Tony. Tony was her hero. He kept me grounded. He said the words she needed to hear to get my shit her and only he could say them. Anyone else and Riss would've thrown a bitch fit. Tony believed in her when she had no one else. Tony was there for her when her dad wasn't. Tony would never let her fall. 

The night Riss and Steve got in their nasty fight, she sat on Tony's porch, Morgan was three years old and taking a nap. She could see Pepper drying dishes in the kitchen through the window. She and Pep weren't close, they never got much of a chance. 

"You've changed." Tony told the girl. "The Carissa I know would fight with her dad but would never take it so far as to leave." 

He was right. She'd changed, grown up. She was nineteen at the time, her birthday had just passed. Snow had stopped falling, leaving his beautiful yard a clean white. She looked up from the mug of hot chocolate in her lap before replying. 

"Once upon a time, Tony, you told me that Bucky wouldn't be proud of who I was, despite how much you were. You were right. He wouldn't have been proud of what I'd helped Peter with that day." They had both flinched at the mention of Parker. "But then I took a moment. Not only would Barnes have not been proud, but I realized that I was also letting Natasha down. That mattered to me. No matter what, I'm always disappointing my dad but Tash... I can't let her down." That was all that mattered to her. Keeping Natasha and Tony as proud as she could. She did well with Tony, but always struggled when it came to Nat. 

So now here they were, standing in the compound and fucking around with quantum physics. She wasn't sure exactly what had gotten her here. Was it hope? A false promise? Was there too much on the line? What if something goes wrong? All the doubt in the room weighs down on the girl as she takes in the emotion of her dad, Natasha, Bruce and Scott. Her heart was racing. 

Scott fires up the van and Steve made sure the emergency generators were ready. Carissa wasn't sure what the hell was gonna happen but she took that as a bad sign. None of them knew what would happen next. The anticipation in the room swarmed her. 

"Good, because if we blow the grid, I don't wanna lose, uh, Tiny here in the 1950s." Bruce says. 

"That's comforting." Carissa comments. 

"Excuse me?" Scott asks. 

"He's kidding." Nat tells Scott. "You can't say things like that." She tells Bruce. 

"It was a bad joke." Bruce tells Scott. 

"You guys are fucked up." Riss whispers to the two of them. She forces herself to swallow, trying to drown out the emotions swarming her like angry hornets. 

Natasha looks at the girl and back to Bruce. "You were kidding, right?" 

"I have no idea. We're talking about space travel." Bruce replies. 

Riss points at Nat. "I thought you were in on it." She whispers to her. 

"Either it's all a joke or none of it is." Bruce continues. He turns to Scott. "We're good! Get your helmet on. Scott, I'm gonna send you back a week, let you walk around for an hour, then bring you back in ten seconds. Makes sense?" 

"Perfectly not confusing." Scott says. 

"Good luck, Scott. You got this." Steve encourages. 

"You're right. I do, Captain America." Scott replies before being shrunken down into the machine. 

"He's got a huge boner for you." Riss tells Steve. 

Natasha laughs. "Gross." She says. 

"It's true!" Riss says. Steve shakes his head at her. 

"On a count of three...three, two, one." Bruce announces. 

A teenage boy comes back through. "Uh, guys. This doesn't feel right." 

"Oh, shit." Riss mumbles. 

"What is this?" Steve asks. 

"Who is that?" Nat asks Bruce. 

"Hold on." He replies. 

"Is that Scott?" Nat asks. 

"Yes, it's Scott." The kid replies. 

"Hey, Scott." Riss replies, waving. "How was last week?" 

"Carissa." Steve sharply whispers. 

"What? Just making conversation." The girl replies, dropping her hand. She gasps lightly as the anxiety in the room threatens to drown her. Her left-hand flies to her check, clutching her shirt lightly. 

Bruce sucks him back into the van. Seconds later, he's replaced with an old man. 

"Real funny, Bruce. Bring our Scott back." Carissa choked out. The room was growing desperate. 

"I'm trying, Riss." Bruce replies. "Can I get a little space here?" He asks. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Steve replies, pulling Riss by her arm over to Tash. "Can you get him back?" 

Natasha watches Carissa intently. Her face was flushed as she sucked in air through light gasps. She looked like she was choking. 

"I'm working on it." Bruce answers. 

Old Scott gets sucked back into the van, being replaced by baby Scott. 

"Bruce." Carissa begged. She felt like she was dying. The mix of anxiety, desperation and concern drowned the blonde as she attempted to swallow the lump in her throat. 

"I know, Carissa." Bruce replies. 

"It's a baby." Steve finishes for Riss. She gasps more loudly than intended. 

Are you okay? Nat asks her. Carissa violently shook her head. 

"It's Scott." Bruce replies. 

"As a baby." Steve says. 

"He'll grow." Bruce says. The wave of irritation that flows through her dad was almost enough to puh her over the edge. 

"Bring Scott back." Steve demands. 

"When I say kill the power, kill the power." Bruce says. 

"Oh, my God." Nat mumbles. She walks away from Riss, eyeing her as she does. 

"And...kill it!" 

Natasha pulls the lever as Bruce hits another button. 

"Somebody peed my pants." 

Upon hearing the voice, the emotions rush out of Riss. Her knees buckle, sending her to the floor of the compound. 

"Oh, thank God." Riss says to the Scott they know. She gasps at the air greedily as new emotion envelope her. Everyone was relieved. 

"Come on." Nat whispers to her, trying to pull her up. Riss didn't have the energy to get up yet. She shook her head at Nat lightly. 

"But I don't know if it was baby me or old me. Or just me-me." Scott says. 

"Time travel!" Bruce yells. "What? I see this as an absolute win." 

Steve sighs before walking over to Riss. "What happened?" He asks. 

"You all tried to kill me." She replies. "Don't ever feel the same emotion at the same time again." 

Natasha pulls the girl up, dragging her to the kitchen. Riss watches as Nat pulls the peanut butter from the cabinet. 

Riss's mind races. They can't do this without Tony, she knew that. 

"I like your hair up." Nat says from behind the counter. She shakes the jar of peanut butter. Riss shakes her head. 

The blonde smiles. "Thanks." She replied. She looks down at the old ripped blue jeans and black turtle neck She had tucked in. My army green converse had faded from all the years. Her knotty blonde hair fell all the way down her back in a wavy mid-height ponytail. 

"But I like it much better down." Nat finishes. She pulls a frozen pizza out of the freezer, shaking it at the girl for approval. Mushroom and pepperoni, Riss noticed. She nodded. 

"I like yours in braids. I also like that color on you." Riss tells her, in regards to the red. She takes Nat's advice, pulling the army green scrunchie out. Her hair fell around her, a blanket like as usual. 

"Thanks." She says. "You okay?" 

"Yeah, yeah. You?" 

She shrugs. "You're back. Couldn't be better. We missed you around here." 

"I missed you, too, Tash." Riss replies. 

"Can we talk about what happened?" She asks Riss. 

Carissa sighs, running a hand through her hair. "Have you ever gotten tangled in your bedsheets and panicked while trying to get out?" 

"Are you asking me for sex advice?" Nat asked. Riss pushed a laugh through her nose. 

"No. I mean when you toss and turn a lot. You get stuck in the sheets and you panic, even though you know you're okay." Riss clarified. "When you all had that rush of anxiety, it was like I was tangled in the sheet, but the lights were off. I couldn't see where it was stuck, I couldn't untangle myself. It was like being drowned." 

"Is this one of those downsides?" Nat asks. Carissa nodded. 

"I can move things with my mind, but I forget how powerful I am. I can read your minds, but once the door is opened, it's near impossible to close. I can feel your emotions so I can tell when you're happy and when you need a hug, but when you feel those intense emotions, it becomes overwhelming fast." Riss explains. Natasha nods. 

"This is what Wanda's been dealing with?" She asks. 

"Unfortunately." Riss replies. 

"And now you're stuck?" Nat asks. 

"All right, Princess Peach. Let's time travel." 

The voice pulls Riss's attention away from Nat. "No fucking way. Tony?" The girl asks. 

"I know it's not Sunday, but I absolutely had to see you." He says, a dramatic tone to his voice. 

Riss smiles. "Hi, Tony. How's my little sunflower?" 

"She's fine, upset she didn't get to tag along after I mentioned your name. Come help me with something." Tony says. 

He grabbed a hose, handing Riss the back side of it before they started walking. Even with the two of them, it dragged. Tony didn't seem to care much. 

"You're drifting left." Tony tells Thor. "One side there, Lebowski." 

"Welcome back, Thor." Riss adds when she walks past him. He was drunk, it didn't take a mind reader to know that. He wasn't sure who'd said that at first, until he took notice of the petite blonde girl. 

"Ratchet, how's it going?" Tony asks. 

"It's Rocket." He replies. "Take it easy, you're only a genius on Earth, pal." 

"Hey, Rocket." She smiles at the raccoon. "Play nice." The girl reminds Tony. 

Tony raises his eyebrows. Riss laughs. Tony waves her off. 

"Why don't you go be the light in another room?" Tony asks the girl. He had work to do and as much as he appreciated her help, he knew that she had catching up to do with everyone else. She hadn't seen them in two years. Tony spent that whole two years with her. 

On her way back to the kitchen, Riss walks past the room they were testing the particles in. 

"...Hot Tub Time Machine." She hears Rhodey say. She stops, backing up and turning into the room. 

"I don't care what anyone says, Sebastian Stan looked amazing in that movie. Hey, Clint." She greeted. 

"Hey, Riss." He replies before she walks back out. 

She made her way into the conference room. The six infinity stones were splayed across the screen along with the assumed correlating Avenger. 

Steve's picture lit up green. A man out of time. 

Tony's lit up yellow. World's greatest mid.

Thor's was blue. King from space.

Natasha's was red, which Riss found fitting. The one closest to reality.

Bruce's was purple. The one with the greatest power.

Carissa was surprised to see her picture there. Hers lit up orange. 

The team's soul.

She wasn't sure of how to feel about that. She wasn't an original Avenger. What about Clint? 

As Carissa went to slip out to go look for Tony, he walks in. 

"What is this?" She asked. 

Tony just looked at her. "I wanted to see how the related to us." He replies simply. 

"Tony, I'm not an original Avenger." She argues. "What about Clint?" 

Tony snorts at the question. "You think he's the soul of this team?" He asks. Come on, you can do better than that. 

That was all the explanation the girl got as the team filled into the room. They attempted to figure out where to find the stones. This was gonna be complicated, yes, but not the most complicated part. Carissa's mind was still reeling over what Tony had told her. 

"Okay, so the how works. Now we gotta figure out the when and the where. Almost everyone in this room has had an encounter with at least one of the six Infinity Stones." Steve announces. 

"Or substitute the word 'encounter' for damn near been killed by one of the six Infinity Stones." Tony says. 

"Yes, that one seems a bit more accurate." Carissa comments. 

"Well, I haven't but I don't even know what the hell you're all talking about." Scott says. 

"The stones are gonna be how we get her back." Riss tells him. A hopeful expression crosses his face. He nods, only getting it partially. 

"Regardless, we only have enough Pym Particles for one round-trip each." Bruce says. "And these stones have been in a lot of different places throughout history." 

"Our history." Tony corrects. "So, not a lot of convenient spots to just drop in, yeah?" 

"Which means we have to pick our targets." Clint says. 

"Correct." Tony says. 

"So, let's start with the Aether. Thor, what do you know?" Steve asks. 

"Dad, I think he's asleep." Riss mumbles. 

"Is he asleep?" Nat asks. 

"No, no. I'm pretty sure he's dead." Rhodey replies. Carissa smiles at what Rhodey said as an idea crosses her mind. 

She picks up a pen that's sitting next to her on the table and throws it at him. It bounces off, landing on the floor in front of him. 

"I'm up, I'm up." He says, standing. "Uh, where to start? Um...The Aether, firstly, is not a stone. Someone called it a stone before." He finishes, pointing at Steve. "Um, it's more of an angry sludge sort of thing...so someone's gonna need to amend that and stop saying that. Here's an interesting story, though, about the Aether." 

Riss leans over. "Can I go now?" She whispers into her dad's ear. 

"If we have to suffer, you must, too." He whispers back. 

"You're an asshole." She replies. 

"You're grounded." He says. Their eyes never leave Thor. 

"I'm twenty-one." She counters, finally looking at him with furrowed eyebrows. 

"Oh, there she is." Thor says. 

"We're missing the story." Steve whispers to her. 

"Thank god. You're welcome." She replies. 

Thor keeps going. "And so, I had to take her to Asgard, which is where I'm from and we had to try and fix her." 

"What the fuck does this have to do with anything?" She asks Steve. 

"He's drunk." He replies. "He's just rambling." 

"See, I can do the rambling when it's Tony." She admits. "He's funny." 

"Jane and I aren't even dating anymore, so..." 

"I wonder why." Riss whispers to Steve. The blonde pair both started laughing softly. 

"Why don't you come sit down?" Tony asks, trying to stop Thor. 

"I'm not done yet." Thor answers. Carissa rolls her eyes dramatically. 

Thor continues as Riss pulls her phone out. Steve could suffer by himself for a few moments. 

To: Peter🕸❤️   
Thor's plastered, talking in front of everyone in the compound. You would've loved it. Miss you. 

"Quill said he stole the Power Stone from Morag." Rocket says. 

"Is that a person?" Banner asks. 

"No, Morag is a planet. Quill was a person." Rocket answers. 

"Who the fuck names these planets? I wanna name a planet." Riss asks, digging through the takeout box in front of her. She looks at the chopsticks in her hand, thinking of Peter. She frowns at them. 

"I don't think we should give you the power to name anything." Tony argues. 

"Like a planet? Like in outer space?" Scott asks. 

"I didn't know we still had baby Scott." Riss says in a baby voice. "Don't be stupid." She tells him, pointing her chopsticks at Scott. 

"I like her." Rocket says before turning back to Scott. "It's like a little puppy, all happy and everything. Do you wanna go to space? You wanna got to space, puppy?" 

"The feeling's mutual." Riss tells Rocket when he's done fucking with Scott. Scott was easy to pick on. He left the door open for it and didn't stop them. Carissa went back to picking up the piece of garlic chicken she'd dropped twice already. 

"Thanos found the Soul Stone on Vormir." Nebula announces. 

"I don't like the way that sounds." Riss mumbles, looking around the room. She dropped the chicken again, sighing to herself. She'd always struggled with chopsticks. 

"What is Vormir?" Nat asks. 

"A dominion of death at the very center of celestial existence. It's where Thanos murdered my sister." 

"Well, that got dark." Carissa mumbles. "Now, I really don't like it." She adds, finally popping the chicken into her mouth. 

"Not it." Scott says. 

"Yeah. Me either." Riss adds, chewing. 

Everyone breaks to figure more shit out. Riss heads off one way with her dad only to soon regret that. 

"I saw you pull your phone out." Steve says as they stood in the kitchen. Carissa's Styrofoam box still sat in front of her as she played with her chopsticks to get them just right. She always found herself in this kitchen, she noticed. 

"Are you gonna do the typical parent thing and ask me who I was texting?" She asks him. She places her chin on her hand, holding her head up. Steve leaned backwards against the sink, turning his head to his left to look at her clearly. 

He shakes his head. "No need." He says. "How often do you text Peter?" 

She sighs, dropping her hand from her chin to pick her chopsticks back up. "Whenever something happens. Whenever I think about him randomly." She answers, giving up and just stabbing her chicken with one like a kabob. 

"So, a lot, huh?" He asks in that concerned mom voice. He'd adopted that tone a little after her mom had died. 

The girl nods "More often than I'd care to admit." She says, her words accompanied by the sound of her teeth scraping against her single chopstick. 

Steve smiles a sad smile, dropping the subject. An idea popped into his head as he opens the fridge door, walking right out of the kitchen before she could see what he grabbed. She picked her food up, following after him. 

They make their way back to the rest, a new emptiness inside of the girl. It was a drastic change from the way she'd felt earlier today and she wasn't sure what she preferred. She slid back into her seat at the table, waiting. Steve sat a chocolate pudding in front of her before he started talking. She smiles up at her dad, opening it as she picked up the dark green plastic spoon. 

"All right. We have a plan." Steve announces. "Six stones, three teams, one shot." 

Nice. Stressful. They suit up. She was teamed with Steve, Tony, Scott and Bruce. A team she'd never really seen coming. 

"One round-trip each. No mistakes, no do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know. That doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives and we're gonna win. Whatever it takes. Good luck." Steve says. 

"He's pretty good at that." Rocket says when he finishes. 

"I think he rehearses." Riss replies. 

"All right. You heard the man. Stroke those keys, Jolly Green." Tony tells Bruce. 

"Trackers engaged." Bruce replies. 

"See ya in a minute." Nat says to Steve. 

"Ready?" Steve asks his daughter. 

"Do I even have a choice?" She replies. 

The apparent answer was no.


	14. Chapter 14

The incident of New York 2012 was something Riss didn't get to experience in real life. It was before her mom had died. Actually, it was what killed her mom. It wasn't always just Fury, Maria and Coulson. There had been four originally. But when the God of Mischief decided to pay a visit, they were left with two. 

Candace Rogers. The second person Steve had failed to save, next to Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. 

She was quickly snapped back into reality by her dad's voice. She hadn't thought about this, Steve hadn't either. The complications that this date would actually lead to could easily influence the both of them. 

"All right. We all have our assignments. Two stones uptown, one stone down. Stay low. Keep an eye on the clock." 

A loud thud got all of their attention, followed by a groaning sound. We all turned to see 2012 Hulk smash a guy into the ground with a car. 

"Maybe smash a few things along the way." Steve adds. 

"I think it's gratuitous, but whatever." Bryce replies, ripping his shirt off. He walked out, roaring softly. He made a fist, hitting the top of a taxi. Carissa raises her eyebrows when he picks up a motorcycle to throw it. Then, they spilt up. 

"Stick with Tony." Were the orders she had received from Steve. So, she stuck with Tony. 

"Try to keep up, Princess Peach." Tony whispers. He flew up the 2012 Avengers Tower. She decided to web her way up there. Wasn't exactly easy, but she managed. She wasn't sticky like Peter, which was good because that's gross. 

"Better hustle, Cap. Things look like they're just about wrapped up here." Tony says into the earpiece. 

"Got it." Steve replies. "I'm approaching the elevator now." 

Tony slowly flies into the room. Riss quietly places her feet down on the floor, sneaking behind him. 

2012 Loki's voice echoed through to them. Carissa stopped breathing momentarily. "If it's all the same to you...I'll have that drink now." 

2012 Tony replied. "All right, get him on his feet. We can all stand around posing up a storm later." 

"Man, you were an asshole." Riss whispers. 

2012 Tony continued. "By the way, feel free to clean up." 

Tony scoffs. "Mr. Rogers, I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass." 

"No one asked you to look, Tony." Steve replies through the earpiece. 

"No need to ask. He's way ahead of you, apparently." Riss tells her dad. 

"It's ridiculous." Tony continues. 

"I think you look great, Cap." Scott adds. "As far as I'm concerned, that's America's ass." 

"Suck up." Riss replies. "I told you, dad." 

"Who gets the, uh, magic wand?" 2012 Natasha asked. 

"S. T. R. I. K. E. team's coming to secure it." The 2012 version of Steve replied. It was weird. She didn't remember her dad being so...uptight. She knew he was, but she didn't see much of him growing up. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure of her parents' marital state. I mean her mom had her dad's last name but she couldn't remember them being the picture-perfect happy family. 

The beeping of the elevator was telling them we needed to fucking move and we needed to do it ASAP. Tony pulls at Riss, sucking her out of the rabbit hole she had just entered. She made a mental note to ask her dad later. 

She follows Tony, who hides behind the post that had previously been behind them. She couldn't believe the genius actually hid them behind a pillar in the room. 

"Rumlow." Riss whispers. She was growing overwhelmed. Between her own anxiety and Tony's, she began to hyperventilate slightly. 

Tony snapped in her face. "Hey. Hey, I need you to focus on the mission, Peach, okay?" 

She nods. Her mouth felt dry. Sitwell walked up to Tash. This was really fucking weird. She didn't like the wave of emotion rushing toward her. It was that sickening feeling you get while watching a horror movie. Riss was watching a horror movie. She knew how it ended, but she still jumped. 

"We can take that off your hands." He said to 2012 Nat. 

"By all means." She responded. "Careful with that thing." She warned. 

"God, we were stupid." Riss whispers to Tony. 

"Who are these guys?" Scott asks. 

"They are S. H. I. E. L. D." Tony replies. "Well, actually Hydra, but we didn't know that yet." 

"Not until years later." Riss adds. "Rumlow tried to kill me and my dad. Broke my arm." 

"Seriously? You didn't figure it out until years later? I mean, they look like bad guys." Scott says. 

"Sometimes so does Rhodey but you don't see us kicking him out." Riss replies. 

"You're small, but you're talking loud." Tony told Scott. 

"That's what he says when you say something he doesn't like." Carissa whispers to Scott. 

"Shut it, Peach." Tony says. 

"I like the new nickname." She tells him. He frowns slightly at her, remembering how the nickname came to be. He didn't know why all of a sudden that was all he wanted to call her, but it was. 

2012 version of Steve started talking. "On my way down to coordinate search and rescue. Is Candace here yet?" 

Riss flinches at the mention of her name. She knew this would be an issue. 

"Mom." She whispers. Tears gather in the girl's eyes. Tony sighs. He hated seeing her cry. 

"Carissa, no look at me." Tony says. "Focus, Princess." 

"I mean, honestly, how do you keep your food down?" 2012 Loki asked when he'd switched back from mimicking Steve, earning him a muzzle from 2012 Thor. 

Carissa closes her eyes at the sound of his voice. She couldn't take it. 

"All right, you're up little buddy. There's our stone." Tony says. 

"All right." Scott replies. "Flick me." 

Tony flicks him, landing him in the case, climbing up Rumlow. Tony taps on Carissa's shoulder before making his way to the window. She follows close behind, watching as he jumps out of the window. She takes on last glance at her dad and Loki. Part of her wanted to warn him, but she knew it didn't matter now. 

"Fantastic." She mumbles to herself before jumping out behind him. 

She swings around the building using her webs, following Tony. 

"All right, Cap, I got our scepter in the elevator just passing the 80th floor." Tony says into the earpiece. 

"80th?" She asks. "Holy shit." 

"On it." Steve replies. "Head to the lobby. And give Riss a chance to keep up with you." 

"All right, I'll see you there. And no promises." Tony replies. 

"Dick." Riss mumbles. She suppressed the tears and the heartache. They had a job to get done. Tony was glad she wasn't crying anymore, but he knew she was hurting. He didn't need any special abilities to know that. 

They get to the lobby, Tony heading straight back to a closet. He goes in and comes right back out, handing Riss a security suit and they suit up. 

"Blend in." He says. 

"I spent my whole life trailing with Natasha. I can blend in, Tony. Can you?" She asks, slipping the mask over her face. They stood at the front counter as the 2012 Avengers walked behind them. 

"Thumbelina, do you copy? I've got eyes on the prize." Tony says to Scott. "It is go time." 

"Bombs away." He replies. "Is that Axe Body Spray?" He asks a few seconds later. 

"Yeah, I had a can in the desk for emergencies. Relax." Tony replies. "Can we focus, please?" 

"I'm going inside you...now." Scott announces. 

"Really?" Riss asks. "Tony, this fucking mask is pulling my hair." 

"I need your hair put away, last thing I need is Rumlow seeing it and getting a hard-on." He tells her before addressing Scott. "Move it, Stuart Little. Things are getting dicey out here. Let's go." 

"Promise me you won't die?" Scott asks. 

"We're only giving me a mild cardiac dysrhythmia." Tony replies. 

"That doesn't sound mild." Scott argues. 

"I agree, it doesn't." Carissa says. "But, move your ass, Scott." 

"Do it, Lang!" Tony demands. "Window's closing. Pull my pin." 

"Scott..." Riss tries. 

"Here goes." He says. 2012 Tony gasps, grabbing at his chest. He goes down, hitting the floor abruptly. 

Peirce yells for a medic and my Tony repeats. Carissa can't help but smirk. 

"Medic! Give these guys some help." It was almost comical to hear her present Tony calling a medic for his past self. 

Scott takes the opportunity to slide the case towards the two and Tony grabs it. They walk away but not without gaining the attention of 2012 Loki. Riss notices, but didn't much care. She refused to worry about him now. He was chained up, what was he gonna do? Turn into a snake? 

"Good job. Meet me in the alley. I'm gonna grab a quick slice." Tony says, walking up to the door. Carissa trails closely behind him. 

The door busts open, sending both of them flying as well as the case. The case opens, sending the Tesseract flying. 

2012 Loki grabs it, disappearing. Riss peels herself off the floor. Her hair's fallen out of the mask and her ribs ached. Fucking ribs. 

"Shit. Tony. Tony! Get up." Carissa panics, pulling at Tony. He sits up, ripping the mask off. She does the same. 

"That wasn't supposed to happen was it?" Scott asks. 

"Oh, we blew it." Tony replies. 

"Fuck." The girl mumbles. 

Riss gets Tony up and they make their way out to the alley. He opens a car door, telling her to sit. 

"Can I ask you something?" She asks him. Now wasn't the time, but she had to know. She had a few questions piling up and she deeply feared forgetting them. 

He turns to her. "What?" 

"Why Princess Peach?" She asks. 

He sighs. "Peter forced me to play Mario Kart with him once. He picked Princess Peach. When I asked him why he told me because she looked like you. I didn't remember that until Morgan made me sit and play it with her." 

Riss nods and sniffles before replying. "I was afraid you'd say something like that." The girl chokes out. "Peter changed my contact name to Peach." She admits to Tony. "I told him he looked a lot like Mario." 

Tony smiles. "He told me about that." He places a hand on her shoulder. "We're gonna a get him back. Both of them." 

Riss nods. Steve scrambles out before she can reply. They were in trouble. Riss braced herself. 

Tony looks over to him. "Cap." He calls. "Sorry, buddy, we got a problem." 

"Yeah, we do." Scott adds. 

Tony explains, which doesn't bring up the best reaction out of Steve. 

"Well, what are we gonna do now?" He asks. 

"You know what? Give me a break, Steve. I just got hit in the head with the Hulk." Tony says. 

"We." Riss corrects. 

"You said that we had one shot." Scott says. 

"We did." She replies. 

"This was our shot." Scott continues. 

"We know, Scott." She replies. 

"We shot it. It's shot. Six stones or nothing." He continues. 

"I'm gonna web your fucking mouth shut." Carissa threatened. 

"You're repeating yourself; you know that?" Tony asks. "You're repeating yourself." 

"You're repeating yourself. You're repeating yourself." Scott replies. 

"Dude. Come on." Tony says. 

"No. You never wanted a time heist. You weren't on board with a time heist." Scott says. 

"He has the most to fucking lose." She defends. 

"I dropped the ball." Tony says. 

"You ruined the time heist." Scott says. 

"Actually, 2012 Hulk ruined the damn time heist." She argues. "If you would've pulled the pin faster it wouldn't have happened." 

"Is that what I did?" Tony asks. 

"Yeah." Scott says. 

"Dad." Riss attempts to get him to intervene. 

"Are there any other options with the Tesseract?" Steve asks. 

"No, no, no, there's no other options." Scott answers. 

"Yes, there are." Riss argues. "Pym Particles were made in a lab, dad. A S.H.E.I.L.D. lab." 

"She's onto something." Tony agrees. "Military installation. Garden State." 

"When we're they both there?" Steve asks. 

"They were there at a time, I have a vaguely exact idea." Tony answers. 

"How vague?" Steve asks. 

"What are you talking about?" Scott asks. "Where are we going?" 

"Shut up, Lang." Carissa begged. 

"I know for a fact they were there." Tony says. 

"Who's they? What are we doing?" Scott asks. 

"And I know how I know." Tony finishes. 

"Guys, what is it?" Scott asks. 

"Looks like we're improvising." Steve says. 

"Great." Tony agrees. 

"What are we improvising?" Scott asks. 

Steve hands Scott the Magic Wand Natasha had earlier, telling him to take it back to the compound. 

"Peach, go home." Tony told her. 

"Dad..." Riss tried. 

"Now." Steve told the girl. "Scott, it's time." 

Scott nodded. Apparently, there was some secret code against her. She sifted through Scott's head to find the moment they made that plan. 

"And when we tell you to take her home, don't question it. She needs someone else to pull her out." It had been Tony, not Steve, to give the order. She frowns to herself. 

Steve and Tony synced up, heading to New Jersey. Scott turned to the girl. "Ready?" He asked. 

She shakes her head. "Don't have an option. Do you know why you were given the order?" 

Scott shakes his head at her. "We have to go." He replies. 

She told him anyway. "My mom dies today. If the mission took too long, it was your job to take me home. In case..." 

In case I got a hero complex. 

They hit the button, sending us home. She instantly regrets it. 

She had a chance, but she gave it up. She could've seen her, saved her. 

But changing the past doesn't change the future. Carissa sank to her knees on the platform as her sobs engulfed her.


	15. Chapter 15

Carissa and Scott had been the first ones back. Riss still sat on the platform, hugging her knees to her chest. Choked out sobs left her throat as she rocked herself back and forth. Snot ran down her face and she could no longer even see. Everything was a watered-down blur. Scott panicked, not sure of what to do. His daughter had never broken down like this in front of him, considering he had missed the teenage years. He felt guilty for not knowing how to comfort her, which made her feel even worse. Everyone began to filter in one by one, all noticing Carissa's state. None of them had realized what they were sending her into. Their guilt laced with concern only made the girl cry harder as she rocked herself back and forth. 

"Did we get them all?" Bruce asks when Carissa calms down enough. They all understood her whole world had gotten rocked again, but they had priorities. She understood. 

"Are you telling me this actually worked?" Rhodey wonders out loud in an amused tone. 

Riss hears someone else hit the floor of the platform. Clint had sunk to his knees, she'd noticed. The feeling of regret and grief filled her. She began to hyperventilate. 

"No." She whispers. She knew Vormir was bad. Why did Riss let her go? Why hadn't it been Clint? Oh, she was going to hell just for that. Just for that. 

"Clint, where's Nat?" Bruce asks. 

The scene of Nat fighting him played in his head. Carissa stared off into space, her face growing neutral. Her tears stopped flowing as she watched Nat launch herself off the side of the cliff. Carissa let out an involuntary bloodcurdling scream. Her tears were like waterfalls as her continuous screams ripped her throat apart. 

She shakes her head, wanting the images to leave. She stopped screaming, looking around the room. It felt smaller. It felt like the walls were crashing down on her. Finally, it dawns on everyone else in the room. She had to get out of there. She stood, her legs like jelly as she zipped down the stairs of the platform and right outside. She stood there, trying to catch her breath. Her hands were shaking as they flew to her hair, pulling at the blonde roots. She was drowning again. She was drowning, but this time there was no Natasha to talk to. The door opens and closes again, Tony and Steve appearing in front of her. Tony rubbed her back as Steve barely managed to catch her as her knees buckled from under her. He whispers in her ear, telling her it was okay. A choked sob erupted from her throat. Tony linked his arm through her left arm as Steve did the same on her right. She felt like she was drowning still. The three of them slowly made their way to the dock. Steve sat on a bench, tears rolling down his cheeks as the rest gathered. 

"Do we know if she had family?" Tony asks. 

"Yeah." Steve answers. "Us." 

She'd been holding her breath to stop the crying, but that sentence broke her heart all over again. She took in a sharp gasp of air as their emotions shifted. 

"What?" Thor asks. 

"Huh?" Tony replies. 

"What are you doing?" Thor asks. Denial. 

"Just asked him a question." Tony replies. Acceptance. 

"Yeah, no, you're acting like she's dead." 

"Thor..." Riss chokes out. She couldn't handle this. Not the hope. 

"Why are we asking like she's dead?" He continues. "We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back. Isn't that right? Carissa? So, stop this shit. We're the Avengers. Get it together." 

Thor was breaking their hearts more, all of theirs with his false hope. Carissa could feel them all fall apart a bit more, losing a piece of themselves. 

"Can't get her back." Clint replies. 

"What?" Thor asks. 

"It can't be undone." Clint tells him. "It can't." 

Thor laughs. "I'm sorry, no offense but you're a very Earthly being, okay? And we're talking about space magic. And can't seems very definitive." 

"Yeah, look, I know I'm way outside my pay grade here. But she still isn't here, is she?" Clint asks. 

"No, that's my point." Thor says. 

"It can't be undone. Or that's at least what the red, floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him, okay? Go grab your hammer and you go fly and you talk to him." Clint was starting to get pissed off. Now wasn't the time. Not when he was the one who shouldn't be here. That's awful to say. Think. 

"Clint, breathe." Riss intervenes. 

"It was supposed to be me." He admits. Bargaining. "She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone. She bet her life on it." 

It should've been him. 

Bruce rips the bench out of the dock, throwing it across the water. It lands in the trees, scaring away birds. Anger. 

"She's not coming back." He says, turning to face us. "We have to make it worth it. We have to." 

Steve finally stands. Depression. "We will." He promises. 

"See you in a minute." Riss chokes out. She'd promised Steve. Thor looks over at Riss before placing a hand on her small shoulder. Her eyes find a spot to focus on, disassociating herself with her surroundings. They'd each taken an emotion from the five stages of grief, leaving her to take a piece of them all. They all walk back to the compound to put the new gauntlet back together. Carissa can't bring herself to move. 

"You coming?" Steve asks Riss. 

"In a few minutes." She replies. She sits, her feet dangling into the water. Her eyes still focused on the same spot, her hands still shaking. 

Steve nods before walking away. He understands. Tony understands. They get it. They get that it's different. They were all hurting, but she was a mother figure to Riss after she'd lost her mom. Like Tony became a father figure when Steve shut down after her death and more recently when their relationship crumbled before their eyes. There was no mother figure here no to pick her up again. Today, she'd lost them both. She'd missed the opportunity to save her mom as well as Nat. 

She picks up a rock sitting next to her and throws it at the refection, creating a perfect ripple. She stands, walking away before the water can stop. 

"We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet." She hears Steve telling Thor about the gauntlet. She'd missed something, but she didn't give a shit at the moment. 

"I'm sorry, what, we're all just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?" Thor asks. 

"I'll do it." The girl squeaks from the door frame. They all look at her. 

"Absolutely not." Steve replies. Tony just laughs. 

"That's cute. Any other volunteers?" He asks when he stops laughing. 

"I'm the strongest Avenger." Thor says. "This responsibility falls upon me." 

"Normally, you're right." Tony says. 

"I was serious, Tony." She softly argues, but she's drowned out by Thor. 

Tony and Thor bicker back and forth. 

"What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?" Thor asks. 

"Cheez whiz." Rhodey replies. 

"Cheap beer." She adds. Her voice is soft with a raspy undertone. She didn't like it but there wasn't shit she could do about that now. 

"Lighting." Thor says. 

"Is it cooking the cheez whiz?" She asks in her raspy voice. 

"It's gotta be me." Bruce says. "You saw what the stones did to Thanos. Almost killed him. None of you could survive, especially not the 117-pound girl." 

"How you you know?" She squeaks. 

"Five of those pounds is your hair." Tony says. She flips him off. 

"How do we know you will?" Steve asks Bruce. 

"We don't." He replies. 

"But he's got the best chances." She says. Tony slides a glass across the table at me. Steve eyes the glass but doesn't say anything. The amber liquid in the glass brings back a memory she didn't want. The tears start again as she let the amber liquid burn the back of her throat like it did all those years ago when Riss and Peter swiped a hotel sized mini-bottle of their own. 

"The radiation's mostly gamma." Bruce says. "It's like I was made for this." 

"He's right." She agrees. "The rest of us don't stand a damn chance." She slid the glass back to Tony, not looking up from the table as he grabs it. He snaps, getting her attention. She wipes her face with the back of her hand. He smiles at the broken girl. She attempts to smile back, but she fails. It hurts Tony to see her hurting. 

Tony gets the gauntlet all ready before Bruce slips it on. 

"Okay, remember, everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago you're just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five year." Tony tells Bruce. 

"Maguna." Riss whispers. "My little sunflower." 

"Got it." Bruce says. 

Steve stands behind him, suited up. Tony points to him, motioning Riss away. She stands behind the shield, behind her dad. 

"Friday, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol, will ya?" Tony asks his AI. 

The doors get covered by metal sheeting, leaving them with the artificial light of the compound bulbs. It was an eerie light, something to be afraid of. It felt like an apocalypse. 

"Feels like doomsday all over again." Riss mumbles. 

"Everybody comes home." Bruce says. 

The stones light up when the gauntlet is fully on, ready for use. Bruce groans as he sinks to the floor, groaning in pain. On instinct, Riss moves closer to him but Steve pushes her back, holding her in place. 

"Take it off! Take it off!" Thor yells. 

"No, wait." Steve says. "Bruce, are you okay?" 

"Talk to me, Banner." Tony steps in. 

"I'm okay." He says. 

Bruce shouts in pain as he raises his hand up, snapping. A bright light flashes through before his eyes roll back, sending him towards the floor. 

"Bruce!" Steve yells. 

"He's burnt. Tony, he's burnt bad." Riss cries. 

"Don't move him." Tony says. He opens his hand, putting the burns out. Bruce grabs onto Steve's wrist. 

"Did it work?" Bruce asked. 

"We're not sure. It's okay." Thor says. 

The doors open again. Sunlight shines back through the compound. Clint's phone rings from the table top. Birds sing. Just like that, no more apocalypse. If the Walking Dead met the Avengers it wouldn't have taken so many years to get this far. 

"Scott?" Riss asks. He's standing in front of the window, smiling. 

"I think it worked." Scott says. Hope, Scott. You hope it worked. 

A blast was heard, throwing them all back. More were fired. Everything was in flames as the compound came crashing down on top of them. 

Carissa groaned. She fucking hated falling as it was but when a piece of a building came crashing down with her it makes it less bearable. She pulls herself off the debris, groaning accordingly. 

"Shit." She harshly mumbles. 

"You okay, Peach?" She hears Tony ask. 

"I'm good. You good?" She asks. She was out of breath. 

He nodded. She assumes he was also out of breath. The landing knocked the wind out of both of them. It happened so quickly she didn't stand a chance at webbing. 

"When was the last time you went down?" He asked. 

"I can't even remember anymore." She answers. "I don't miss it, that's for sure." 

Tony spots Steve and walks over. "Come on, buddy. Wake up." 

Steve's eyes open as he gasps for air. 

"That's my man. You lose this again, I'm keeping it. Peach, get the building off your dad." 

She shot webs, hoping she could just pull it off, but that didn't work. 

"Today, Carissa." Tony says. 

The girl sighs, pushing the energy through her body, lighting the pieces up with the red glow of her psionics. She hadn't used them since they'd lost Wanda. 

"What happened?" Steve asks them. 

"You mess with time; it tends to mess back." Tony replies. "You'll see." He pulls Steve off the ground. 

They walk out of the broken-down compound to see Thor watching Thanos. This is gonna be great, a part two of a not-so royal beheading. 

"What's he been doing?" Tony asks. 

"Absolutely nothing." Thor replies. 

"Where are the stones?" Steve asks. 

"Somewhere under all this." Tony replies. 

"Shit." Riss mumbles. 

"All I know is he doesn't have them." Tony finishes. 

"So, we keep it that way." Steve says. 

"You know it's a trap, right?" Thor asks. 

"Yeah." Tony says. "I don't much care." 

"Typical Tony." She replied. "Let's do this." 

"Good." Thor says. "Just as long as we're all in agreement." 

The thunder cracks as Thor lights up. Riss's feet are no longer touching the ground as she's engulfed in red. 

"Let's kill him properly this time." He says. 

Her eyes glow red as the power surges through her, lighting up her wrists to her fingertips, along her stomach and down her legs. She's covered, neck down. 

The three men walk down, Riss hovering close behind. 

"You could not live with your own failure." Thanos says. "Where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist." 

"Yep, we're all kinds of stubborn." Tony replies. 

"Some of us more than others." Riss adds. 

"I'm thankful." Thanos says. "Because now I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom. And then with the stones you've collected for me, create a new one teeming with life that knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given. A grateful universe." 

"Born out of blood." Steve responds. 

"They'll never know it." Thanos replies. 

Riss laughs in his face. "You sure about that?" She taunts cockily, tilting her head to the left slightly. 

"Because you won't be alive to tell them." He finishes. 

"Oh? Because last I checked, you were the one who didn't walk away." Riss replies. "Nice monologue. Way too long, though." 

Thor yells, advancing towards Thanos with the axe. 

"Guess we're done talking." Riss comments, smiling. Shell enjoy this more than any other fight she's ever been involved in. She'd been waiting for this moment to end properly for five years. She had been satisfied with his death the first time, she guesses, but she really wanted to be more involved. He'd taken so much from her and he didn't even remember her name. 

The rest of them take a running start. Steve got thrown, Tony flew up to take shots from the top. Thanos threw Thor. Riss blasted him with the psionic energy. Grabbing one of his hands, rendering it useless. She was surprised at just how strong they were, considering they sat dormant for five years. She hadn't even known that was possible. He swung his other hand at her, holding a long sword looking weapon. She ducked, not wanting to be beheaded like he had been. Time was an odd thing. 

She raises her hands back up, but he kicked her into the debris. She cut her hand on a rock all while getting debris in her hair and all over her face. When she made it back, Thor was seconds away from having his own axe driven through his chest. 

The red glow took too long, so she shot a web, attempting to pull against him. Her feet dragged through the ground. Thor's hammer comes through, knocking Thanos off. It turned back around, being caught Steve. Riss half smiles at her dad, but if she was honest, she knew he could pick it up. Same with Peter. 

"I knew it!" Thor exclaims. Thanos kicked Thor into the rocks before turning back on Steve. 

Taking a running start, Steve swung the hammer around, hitting Thanos. Thanos landed hard on his back. Steve threw the shield, followed by the hammer, making it hit harder and send Thanos down further into the ground. Riss used the psionics to give Steve a slight boost, making his next hit hurt even more and cause more damage. 

It was easier to help Steve that way than it was to stop Thanos. Hammer up, blue lighting makes its way down. Steve directed it towards Thanos. 

Another boost, sending him up before back down to make any hit hurt more. But the purple grape saw it coming, rolling over and grabbing Steve, throwing him down into the ground. 

He picks up his weapons, heading towards Steve. He cut Steve's leg and hit the hammer out of his hand in Riss's direction. 

"If dad can pick it up..." Maybe. She took a step closer to the hammer. Steve was on his own for a second. 

She grabs it, pulling slightly. She pulls harder, but nothing. Finally, it let up. She fell on her ass with the hammer in her hand. Thanos went on another fucking rant as she sat there having her own little parade. Finally standing, she made her way over to Steve. She raises the hammer up, pulling the blue lightning to it as she lifts herself off the ground. The blue and red emitting from her was a hell of a sight. Steve looked at his daughter in awe as his face bled. 

"Holy shit." She says to the army they now had in front of them. "Holy fucking shit." No matter how intimidating she was now, they had her beat. 

Steve peeled himself off the ground, broken shield and all. 

"Hey, Cap, you read me?" Sam's voice asks through the ear piece. The sound makes Riss's jaw drop. She holds onto the hammer, anticipating an attack. She glowed brighter than she'd ever thought she could. 

"Dad?" She asks. "You heard that, too, right?" 

"Cap, it's Sam. Can you hear me?" 

"Please, tell me you can hear that." She whispers. 

"On your left." Sam says. 

Behind them, a portal opened. 

"Dad..." 

"I can see it." He sasys. 

T'Challa walks through the portal. Sam flies in above him as more opened. 

"Oh, my God." The girl whispers. 

Strange flies through one to the right of her. Then the web. 

"Peter?" She asks. She drops the hammer in front of her dad. He landed on a rock, removing the mask. 

"Carissa!" He yells, making eye contact with her. 

She drops from her levitating state, running to the boy, almost throwing him off the rock. He wraps his arms around her tightly. He lifted her off the ground slightly as he pulls her in even tighter. 

"You're back." She whispers. "You're real, you're here." Her voice wavered. 

"I'm back." He says. 

"Carissa." Another familiar voice calls. 

Peter set the girl down, barely even releasing her waist as she spins around. There stood Bucky, gun and all. He looks the same as he had when she'd lost him. 

Her hands covered her mouth as small gasps left it. "Bucky." She whispers. He set the gun down gently, walking towards her. He cupped her face, tilting her head back. It was almost like she'd imagined it'd be. She never pictured the alien army around them, but she guessed she should've. His slightly chapped lips met her soft ones, both of them sighing into the kiss. Long overdue. 

Steve cleared his throat from behind Carissa. What a way to ruin the moment, old man. 

"Carissa." Steve calls. 

She looks at Bucky. "I have a duty to fulfill." She tells him. He kisses her forehead before she turns, walking back to Steve. 

"Do the thing." He tells her. He looks past her to Bucky, motioning for him to watch. Riss takes a deep breath. 

Red power surges through her veins, lighting from her wrists to her fingertips. Her eyes glow a bright red color, and for the first time her hair had a red tint to it. The bottom of her shoes lit red, setting her slightly off the floor without her having to face her palms to the floor. This was new. Her whole body had a red outline. 

"Woah." She whispers. "Cool." 

Bucky stares at her in utter awe. She had changed so much from the last time he'd seen her. She was more powerful now, more sure of herself. She seemed better now than she had when they first met. He couldn't help but smile at the girl, despite the inappropriate timing. 

Lookin' good, Mini-me. 

"Wanda?" She asked. Wanda smiled from her place behind her. Riss smiled and waved. 

Thanks. Riss replied. Good to have you back. 

"Avengers..." Steve yells, holding his hand out for the hammer. "Assemble." He whispers. 

Thor yells, causing everyone to yell and rush out. Wanda caught up with Riss as they hover out. Peter swung on the other side of her. 

Psionic blasts left her hands in every direction she could manage. She turns, seeing Bucky. He smiles at her. She notices he'd stopped at some point to pin his hair back. She turns around the other way to see Tony hugging Peter. Everything was right again. Now, all we have to do is win an alien war. Sounds about right. 

Welcome to the Avengers life, man. You don't get used to it. 

She hears Sam yelling and see Clint running. 

"Cap, what do you want me to do with this damn thing?" Clint asks through the earpieces. 

The sloshing sound of Steve slicing the shield into our enemies carried through the earpiece. It was pretty gross. "Get those stones as far away as possible!" He replies to Clint. 

"Where the fuck is that?" Riss asks into the earpiece. 

Riss continues on with what she was doing, which is keeping the aliens off of Bucky. Lighting them up and throwing them seemed to be something she was pretty damn good at. She remembered a time where all she had to do was open her palm to them and they'd explode. She wondered if maybe... 

She opens her palm to one, lifting it and then making a fist. The cracking of the bones told her she'd just discovered something new. Pretty damn cool. 

"Carissa." Steve calls through the earpiece. "Get the stones. 

"On it." Riss replies. Once she found them, she sped off in their direction. She could see the power Wanda was putting out and it amazed her. She still had it. Riss's powers were stronger than hers, which was odd to her. They were actually hers. 

"I got it!" She hears Peter yell. He had beaten her to the stones. "Activate instant kill." He tells the suit. 

"Finally." She mumbles to herself. He had this handled. She'd always wanted to see Peter with instant kill, but now wasn't the time. 

She turns back to see Wanda struggling against Thanos. She offers Wan a little help, sending the psionics in her direction. She finally knocked the weapon out of his hand before rendering him immobile. 

Help me? She asked. 

Of course. 

Riss lifts her hands up, adding to the amount of pressure he was feeling. He groans in response. She thought for a second about closing her fist, wondering if it'd do the same thing to something larger. 

"Rain fire!" He ordered before she could find out. Wanda and Riss shared a secret smile. He'd been threatened by the two. 

Blue blasts came hurdling towards them, taking out Wanda. Riss made her way over to Wan, making sure she was okay. 

"Riss?" Peter calls. She turns, seeing him getting piled on top of. 

"Shit. I'm coming!" She lit the space dogs up in red, throwing them off the same way she had Bucky. she didn't have time to crush them all. 

Steve looked up. "Hey, Queens, heads up." He said before throwing the hammer. Peter webbed onto it as she continues to throw them back. 

"You got this, Parker." She tells him. She was right. He could grab the hammer. 

"Peach, watch it!" Tony warns. When she turns around, one of those bastards was right behind her, waiting to pounce. It jumped on her, throwing her onto the ground. 

She pushed against it slightly before picking it up. She pulled her hands apart, ripping it in half. The blood splattered onto her face. "Gross." She muttered. She didn't even know she could do that. 

Neither did I. Wanda tells her. Turn around. 

Riss did what Wan had told her to, seeing the girls gang up. She thought about Nat and how she was missing. It made Riss miss her more. She wanted to cry, but the battlefield wasn't the place for that. 

Take her place. Wanda tells her. She practically groomed you for it. 

Nat would want her there. Wanda was right, she had been groomed for it. she took a deep breath before walking over. Bucky watched her hips sway as she made her way to the girls. She stood next to Wanda, which is where she was sure Nat would've been. She was front and center. 

That's my girl. Bucky thought. Carissa shot him a small smile. 

Wanda threw a ball of power towards the opposing army. Riss follows her lead. She stops suddenly, raising her hand up. 

"There you go, Riss." Steve said, mesmerized by his daughter. 

The hammer flew towards her hand, sending her back slightly when she had caught it. Her hand flew to the earpiece. 

She raises the hammer up, pulling the blue lightning back down. Her eyes lit up blue with the lightning, making them purple when the psionics joined the party. With the leverage she had from levitating, she pulls the hammer down, sending out a purple wave. 

"What the hell was that?" Sam asks. Everyone stops, facing Riss. "She gets more impressive as time goes on." 

Bucky smiles. "That she does." 

She wiped out everything she could, making the job easier for everyone around them. She felt powerful. Useful. It was a feeling she'd been craving for as long as she could remember. She just wanted to be good enough for the Avengers. 

All of that was ripped away from her as another blue blast sent us all tumbling back. The hammer kept rolling even after she'd stopped. Her hands and face were all cut up and dirty. 

"Come on, mini-me." She hears Wanda say. "Get up. Your dad needs you." Her face wasn't as cut up as Riss's, wasn't as dirty either. She probably stopped herself sooner than she had. Oops. 

So, she got up. She saw dad and Thor against Thanos. Thor pushed the axe into Thanos's neck as Steve pulls it from the back. But Riss doesn't act fast enough. 

"Dad!" She yells after he's already been knocked unconscious. It happened in a matter of seconds. She can't be everywhere at once. 

She watches Thanos go for the iron gauntlet but he doesn't quite react it. She lights up his hand, pushing it away. Carol steps in, fighting him away from it. He holds the gauntlet, slipping it on. She comes back after he's thrown her, attempting to remove it. 

A growling sound behind Riss distracts her momentarily. She turns around, once again being pinned down. Like Peter had been, she's piled on. There are multiple on her. She desperately attempts to crawl away, or even concentrate enough to send energy through to her palms. 

"I am inevitable." She hears Thanos say. 

"No!" She yells. Finally, a power surge runs through her whole body, shocking the space dogs off of her. She scrambles to get up. The new cuts were making it hard to move. 

Tony has the stones. They set into place on his hand as he looks into the eyes of Thanos. 

"No, Tony." Riss calls. She kept walking, she kept trying to get to him. 

"And I Am Iron Man." He says before snapping. 

"Tony!" Carissa screams. 

White light, just as it had been before, and everything dusts away like Bucky had. Like Peter had. Wanda, Sam. Riss looks around, watching everything practically disintegrate in front of her. 

"Oh, Tony." She whispers. "Tony, Tony." 

She hears the iron clang and she rushes in the direction. Well, rushes as best as she can. Tony coughs. 

"Tony." She whispers when she reaches him. 

"Hey, Peach." He whispers back. 

"Hi." She replies. She smiles. "You did it." She whispers to him. "You're gonna be okay. We're gonna go home and we'll have our Sunday dinner a few days early." She tells him. He smiles weakly. "I'll stay with you a few days. Maybe weeks, as long as you want." 

She hears Rhodey land behind her. 

"You did it, Tony." She repeats. Her eyes tear up as she looks at him. Her voice grows shakey. 

Rhodey rests his hand on Tony's left cheek. 

"Rhodey?" She asks. He runs a hand down her hair as he stands back up. 

Peter lands from swinging. "Mr. Stark?" He asks. "Hey!" He lets out a shaky breath. The sound of Peter's broken voice is what makes her tears begin to run. It's what makes it real. She's not the only one seeing this, she's not imagining it. This is real, in front of her. Tony's not okay. Tony wasn't okay at all. 

"Mr. Stark. Can you hear me?" Peter asks. "It's Peter. Hey. We won, Mr. Stark. We won, Mr. Stark. We won! You did it, sir, you did it. I'm sorry." Pepper grabs Peter's shoulders, pulling him away. "Tony." 

Pepper gets him up and Peter breaks down. It takes everything in Riss to stand, she was barely even containing herself. Peter's covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he cries. 

Riss wraps her arms around Peter's waist, burying her face into his chest as his arms wrap around her shoulders. He cries into her hair. She can feel his body shaking as she sobs into his chest. 

"Hey." Pepper whispers. 

"Hey, Pep." Tony replies. 

"He could hear us." She tells Peter. "He heard you, babe. He could hear us both." 

Peter's body shakes more violently as he holds onto her tighter. 

Life functions critical. Friday told Pepper. 

Tony smiles at her weakly. 

"Tony. Look at me." She says. "We're gonna be okay. You can rest now." Pepper tells him. 

Those words. Those were the last words Tony ever heard. Riss smiles at his last thought. 

The wheezing sound of Tony's breathing stopped. Riss yelps slightly into Peter's chest as the image of her, Morgan and Pepper fades away. He held onto her tighter, rubbing her back softly as he still cried. Her mentor, her first friend, her smart ass, pain in the ass. He was like another dad to the girl. 

She felt another hand on my back. Peter let her go, kissing my forehead. He placed a hand on her back, steadying her. When she turned around, it was Bucky. 

"Hi, baby." He whispers to her. 

Another strangled sob ripped its way from her throat. He pulled her into his chest, rubbing her back softly. Peter's hand lingered, laying on her hair for a second more. Bucky thanked him as he removed his hand. Her back was colder there from the lack of his warmth. Bucky's hand replaced his. It was time to go, but she couldn't move. She couldn't move from where she was. Bucky let her go for a second, kneeling before Tony with everyone else. That was her shattering point. Her knees gave from under her, sending her tumbling into Bucky. She doesn't remember what happened after and she hopes she never has to. Bucky hopes he never has to see her in that much pain again. If only he knew what she had been through today. 

The day of the funeral came way too quickly. Carissa had an old black sweater of Tony's that she had stolen a few years back. When she'd first moved in, she spent a lot of time shopping in his closet. He had a great T-shirt collection. The petite girl slipped it on, noticing how it still reached her knees. Tony was a small man, but she also had a small frame. All of his clothes were big on her. It was thick knit, too open to wear alone. With a long-sleeved dress under it, it could've passed as a dress itself. So that's what she did. A pair of black strappy heels and perfectly painted black toe nails. Her hair was lightly curled around her. Tony liked when she looked half-put together. He told me it made her look like a child again, not so grown up. Right now, she wished she were still a child, not all grown up. Children don't see this side of reality the way grown people do. A child would've seen Tony's death as him being the hero, the grown-ups wish it had been themselves to take his place so he could go home to his baby. On her way out, Riss ran to buy little Maguna a cheeseburger. She knew her better than anyone, other than her amazing dad. Her sweet little sunflower deserved the world, but her Auntie Rissy could only afford to get her a cheeseburger. Riss broke down at the drive through, so the poor register guy gave it to her for free. It made her feel even more pathetic and helpless than she already had. 

She stands next to Peter as Pep set the flowers in the water. Peter squeezes her hand as Pepper stood back up. 

Proof that Tony Stark has a heart. 

Riss took a deep breath. Fuck. No way was she not gonna cry. 

Morgan stood in front. Poor little sunflower. Steve wraps his arm around Riss's shoulder, kissing her hair. 

"He loves you." He whispers. "He loves you more than you realize." 

"I know, dad. He meant the world to me, too. So, do you." She whispers back. The tears were flowing but she maintained as much composure as she could. She wasn't about to break down with Morgan standing right there. So, she sniffles, wipes her nose and takes a deep breath. If Morgan or Pepper need a shoulder to cry on, she was okay. Okay enough to be there. 

"I love you, kid." Steve tells her. 

"I love you, dad." She replies. 

Her heart ached. She could only imagine what Pepper was going through. When it was time to send Tony's ARC rector off, they walked off the dock. Riss noticed a guy with deep blonde hair in the back. 

"Harley?" She asks, walking over to him. 

"I assume you're Carissa." He replies. 

She nods. Bucky comes up behind her, placing a hand on her lower back. 

"Tony told me a lot about you." He says. 

"You, too. Phenomenal kid." Riss replies. 

"He told me you hung the stars." Harley tells her. Her heart lurches again. 

"Excuse me." She whispers, turning and running towards her car. She sat in the driver's seat for a minute, attempting to collect herself. She sees Morgan sitting on the porch with Happy. That was enough to get her to collect herself, making her way out of the car. 

She heads back up the porch, bag in hand. 

Happy sat with Mo on the bench. She takes a deep breath. 

"How you doing, squirt?" He asks her. 

"Good." She replies. 

"You good?" He confirms. 

She nods. Carissa sniffles softly as her lips contort into a frown. 

"Good. You hungry?" He asks. 

"Mhm." She replies. 

"What do you want?" Happy asks. 

"Cheeseburgers." She answers. 

"You know, your dad liked cheeseburgers." Happy says. 

"Okay." She replies. Riss sniffles lightly again. 

"I'm gonna get you all the cheeseburgers you want." Happy says. Riss smiles at the words she was hearing. 

She looks down at the bag. "Hey, Happy?" She asks. "Can you come here for a second?" 

"Sure, Miss Rogers." He replies. 

He walks over and Riss leads him out of sight from Morgan. 

"Here." She hands him the bag. "Tell her you already got her one. You're her hero now, Happy. And she couldn't pick a better one." 

Happy smiles. "Thanks, Carissa." He says. He turns, walking back to the porch. 

"Oh, Happy?" She calls. He turns around. "Call me Peach." 

He nods. "Peach." 

Riss smiles at the man. She turns back to where Harley was standing. She walks back down the steps, standing in front of him. 

"Would it be weird if we kept in contact?" She asks. 

"No, I don't think so." He replies. 

"I think Tony would've wanted us to." She clarifies. 

Harley nods. He puts his number into her phone. She thanks him before walking off again. 

"Auntie Peach?" A little voice asks. 

"Yeah, baby?" She replies to the girl, sinking to her level. 

"Thank you." She whispered. 

"For what?" Riss asked. 

"For keeping daddy happy." Morgan answers. She wraps her small arms around Carissa. That was Riss's breaking point. She sobbed into the kid's shoulder. 

"Thank you." Riss replies when she composes herself. 

"For what?" Morgan asks. 

"For making him happy in the first place." Riss answers. She looks over Morgan's shoulder, seeing Pep. Tears slid down her face silently. Morgan backed away from Riss, walking off with Pepper. The second they were far enough; Carissa broke down all over again. 

She spotted Bucky, Sam, Bruce and Steve standing off alone. She walks over to them, tears still streaking her cheeks. 

Steve was taking the stones back. Bucky looked at Rissa, smiling. 

"You okay?" He asks. Carissa shook her head. 

"Morgan thanked me for keeping her daddy happy." Riss answers. Steve walked over to them, standing in front of him. 

"You did." Steve agreed with Morgan. "Don't do anything stupid till I get back." He says to Bucky. 

Bucky smiles. "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." They hug before Bucky continues. "Gonna miss you, buddy." 

"It's gonna be okay, Buck. Take care of her." Steve replies. He turns to me, kissing my forehead. "I love you, kid. Thank you for keeping all of us happy." 

"I love you, too, dad. You're coming right back." She replies. Why was he acting weird? 

Bucky grabs her hand as they watch Steve. 

He looks at Riss one more time. "You were always the soul of this team, Riss." 

He flashes and disappears. Carissa furrows her eyebrows. She had talked to Tony about that when he'd laced the stones. She got it now. She was the same thing they were to her. They needed her the same way she needed them. Bruce does the return countdown, but Steve doesn't show. 

Bucky looks at Riss and takes a few steps away from Sam and Bruce. He tugs on her hand lightly for her to follow. 

"Sam." He says, facing the water. 

Sam walks over to the pair. There's a man, sitting on the bench. They walk towards him, stopping after few steps. 

"Go ahead." Bucky tells Sam. 

She looks at Bucky then looks back at the man. It takes her a moment to realize that Steve really left her. Left them. She looks down at her hands. Steve had been wrong all those years ago. She hadn't been erased from existence. Sam walked toward the bench and Bucky just looked at Riss. 

She's still here. He thought. 

She frowns slightly. Changing the past doesn't change the future.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Bucky." She replies to his thought. 

"Doll, I'd never dare to even try." 

She turns back to Steve as Bucky does. Sam picks the shield up, holding it. 

"Captain America." She whispers. 

Bucky nods. He turns to face her, leaning into her. His hands get tangled in her hair, deepening the kiss. No distraction could make this go away, but he made it better. The pain subsided slightly but when he pulled away, it all came back. My emotions, his, Sam's and Steve's all mixed. She could even feel Bruce's, despite how far he was from them. 

Pain and abandonment are the most prominent emotions she feels right now and she didn't see that changing anytime soon. Bucky also felt abandoned but he was also content with Steve's ending. He was also happy about his own, which made a bit of a balance for her. She couldn't help but think about everything she'd lost. 

Natasha was like a mom to her. Tony was like a fun uncle. And Steve, well, he was her dad. She had lost the three most important adults in her life, as well as the only chance she had to save her mom. But she was an adult now. She wasn't an orphan. She wasn't dependent on anyone. And she wasn't alone. The feeling of Bucky's chapped lips against hers proved that. 

She loved them all and she had lost them all. She thought of what her life would be like without them. 

Then the idea came to her. She thought about Pepper. She wondered if she would happen to know where Nat's suit from 2012 would be. 

Suddenly, 'suit up' just got a whole new meaning to the blonde.


	16. Chapter 16

Riss could feel the bed shaking lightly. The lack of light had her momentarily confused. Why was their bed shaking? 

It was three in the morning. Bucky's soft whimpers got the girl's attention. 

"Don't hurt her." He whispers to himself. He's having a nightmare. His shoulders shook lightly as he clawed at the pillow underneath him. 

"Bucky?" She asks. She shakes his shoulder lightly, making him freak out more. 

"Please. Take me instead." He begged. 

"Bucky." She tries again. She shakes him more, hoping that would wake him up. 

His light blue eyes fly open, but this blue was different. It was hallowed. His metal arm came flying towards her, blurring with the motion. In one swift movement, he'd lifted her off the bed, throwing her against the wall. A small cry left Riss's throat as her back hit the wall before she slid down to the floor. She landed harshly, careful not to stick her arm out to catch herself. 

She could hear his labored breathing. "Carissa?" He asks the girl. He was confused. Where had Hydra gone? Where did Carissa come from? 

"Yeah?" She squeaks out painfully. 

"What's wrong?" He asks, noticing the girl's tone. 

"You threw me into the wall." She replies. This looked all too familiar to the both of them. She remembered vividly the first time he'd thrown her and he'd never stopped reliving it. 

"Fuck." He mumbles. He struggles against the sheets; She knew he was tangled in them from his previous panic. He finally forced himself out of the sheets, eventually getting frustrated and ripping them apart down the middle. 

He rushed over to her, crouching down to the floor. "Are you okay?" He asks. His hand moves to cup the girl's cheek. 

She flinches. "Yeah." She replies. "Are you?" 

"Did I hurt you?" He asks, pulling his hand back. He ignores the question. 

"No. I'm fine. Are you okay, Bucky?" She asks again. 

"Can you get up?" 

"Yeah, I can get up. What was the nightmare about?" She keeps trying to change the subject. 

"I don't want to talk about it. I want to make sure you're okay." He replies. She didn't want to push the subject of the nightmare, but she also knew the subject needed to be changed. He'll be apologizing for this for the next week, she was sure of it. That's what happened last time. He didn't mean to hurt her. Bucky hated himself for it. He'd never, in his right mind, lay a hand on the girl. 

"They were going away. What happened?" Carissa asks. 

Bucky sighed. "Can we get off the floor now?" 

"Sure we ca-" Before she really finished, Bucky lifted her off the floor in one swift motion. He stood, walking both of them to the bed. 

"I'm sorry." He whispers, still holding her in his lap. They sat at the edge of the bed. 

"I told you, I'm okay." She told him. 

"I'm still sorry. I don't mean to hurt you." Bucky tells the girl. He rubs her back softly, holding her close to him. 

"I know. Which is why it's okay." She knew he would never hurt her. 

He sighed. His baby blue eyes went back to normal. They were slightly glossy as his right hand came up, stroking her cheek. 

"I'm sorry." He whispers again. He presses his lips to hers before she could tell him she was fine again. 

"Stop apologizing." She replies when he pulls away. 

"I love you, Carissa." He whispers. 

Her eyes snap open. "What?" She asks. 

"I said I love you, Carissa." He repeats. 

She blinks at him. She watches as the regret filled his face. "Never mind, I shouldn't have-" He starts. 

"I love you, too, Bucky." She whispers. She didn't mean to hesitate; it just wasn't something she had been expecting. 

Bucky smiles, the moonlight through the window lighting his face up slightly. 

"Marry me, Carissa." 

The words got caught up in her throat. "What?" She asks. 

"I love you. Marry me, Carissa." He repeats. 

"Bucky..." 

"I have lost so much, given up so much. I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to go anywhere. I don't want to have to give you up. You've lost so much, so many people so quickly. I want to promise that I won't leave." He whispered. She looks away, staring at the ripped-up sheets on the bed. There were better ways those sheets could've been ruined, ripped even. But now wasn't the time, Carissa. 

"Yes." She whispers, still looking away from him. 

"Yes?" He asks. 

"I'll marry you." She agrees. "But, not now." 

"Obviously." He replies, smiling. "Let's wait a year and see." 

"Okay." She agrees. 

"Okay." He repeats. He let go of her, leaning over to his bedside table. He opens the drawer, pulling out a velvet box. 

"Did you plan this?" She asks. 

He shakes his head. "Not this. I wanted to do it better. I had a restaurant picked out, I had plans with Wanda and Peter to make it perfect but..." 

"When the right time comes, you can't ignore it." She finishes for Bucky. "Your plans were perfect but I preferred this." She admits. 

Bucky forces a smile. "You deserved the big plans. You deserve better." 

"Don't start." She whines. She unwraps her arms from around Bucky's neck. "Are you gonna put the ring in my finger or not?" 

This time Bucky actually smiles. "Of course, doll." 

He slides the round diamond ring down her ring finger. He smiles up at her, leaning into her. 

Her phone starts ringing from her bedside table. They both sigh. 

"I'll answer that, you make the bed." She tells Bucky, pulling herself up from the bed. It was an unknown number. 

"Hello?" She asks into the phone. 

"Rogers. We need to meet. I'll see you soon." 

"Fury?" She asks. The line dies, but he hadn't answered. Time for work, apparently. She turns to Bucky, who frowns. She shrugs at him. He knew the deal. It wasn't his first rodeo with a Rogers. She pulls back the comforter on their bed, patting his spot beside her. He just looks at her. 

"Fury." She explains. "It's time to go to work." 

Bucky pouts like a child being told they couldn't have candy. He sits on the bed, finally, pulling Riss into his lap. He holds her for a minute before laying the two of them down gently. 

The sunlight shun through the window. She and Bucky were still intertwined with each other, as well as the sheets. She placed a hand on his chest, calling his name. 

"Bucky." Her soft voice calls. 

"Five more minutes." He replies, pulling her closer. 

She laughs, pushing down on his chest to prop herself up. "I have to get up, remember?" She asks. 

Bucky groans, turning to face her. "I know." He replies. She strokes his cheek gently before leaning into him. Bucky had a bad habit of quickly becoming distracting as he held her in place beside him. Hesitantly, she pushed him away. 

"I have to go." She whispers. He nods, finally opening his eyes. 

"I'll see you in a few days, Peach." He tells her. 

She wasn't given a location as to where to meet Fury but that was more or less normal. She pulled her phone out to dial the number from the night before. 

On the second ring, someone came up behind her. They grabbed her wrist, sending her into a panic. 

"Carissa Rogers, you're under arrest." A deep voice says behind her. 

"What?" She asks. 

They leaned into her. "Relax." They whispered into her ear. "We work for Fury." 

She wasn't sure whether to comply or put up a fight. They just arrested her in public; Fury wouldn't want the attention. 

She was forced into a car, being proven wrong. 

"Cuffs and all?" Fury asks. "Not what I was going for, but close enough." 

"What's going on?" Carissa asks. She didn't know what had just happened. 

"Call the boyfriend, tell him you've been picked up and won't be back for a few days." Fury tells the girl. 

"What?" She asks. Bucky had known she would be gone for a few days before she'd left. She looked around the car. The car had limo tinting, so you couldn't see inside. Like a limo, there was a slider so they had privacy. Her cuffs were digging into her wrists as well as the leather seating underneath her as she sa across from Fury, her back to the window. 

"You're under arrest, Carissa." Fury replies. "But the Winter Soldier wouldn't stand for that." 

He was right. The second Bucky knew she was arrested (again) he'd come after everyone. Riss took another look around the fancy vehicle. She knew Fury, she knew this wasn't right. 

She wasn't being arrested; she knew that much. But what she didn't know is that it only got worse from here.


	17. Chapter 17

The harsh lighting shines down on the table, reflecting off. It was cool in here, painted a boring grey color. The table was the same color as the walls, as was the uncomfortable chair Carissa sat in. She bounced my right leg, the chains shaking with it. Fury leaned against the table, watching her intently. 

"How long since you've been interrogated?" He asks. 

She folds her hands on the table, looking up at him. "I wasn't. I was just arrested and placed. They had the evidence they needed, obviously. Why are we here?" 

Fury pushes himself off the table. "We're here to talk about your dad." 

"What's there to talk about? He's not around anymore. End of conversation." Riss snaps. 

"And how did that feel?" Fury asks her. He takes in her irritated tone and body language. She was more annoyed than anything else. She didn't know why she was here. 

She glares up at Fury. What the hell was he doing? "How do you think it felt?" She tries to dive into his head, hitting a wall. She shuts her eyes, the force of him fighting her off actually hurt. 

"Don't answer my questions with a question. That gets us nowhere." 

So, they were trying to get somewhere. "It sucked." She answers. 

Fury raises an eyebrow at her. "It sucked?" He asked. He knew her, knew he wasn't about to get descriptive detail of her feelings. 

"Yeah, it sucked." She stuck with her answer. 

Fury furrows his eyebrows, but continues. "Did Natasha's death suck?" He hated asking her that. He didn't like the fact he had to hurt her on purpose. Fury had gained a lot of respect for Carissa and not to mention, Tony would've killed him personally for what he was putting her through. 

Her hands balled up in her lap. "Yes." Obviously, it sucked. He'd know that, he had to live through it, too. He hadn't seen it like she had. He hadn't seen the dance her dad had shared with Peggy the way Riss had. He hadn't seen half of the shit Riss had. 

Fury nods. "What about Tony's?" He asks. He watches the girl's face go pale. 

Her mouth went dry as the color drained from her face. The image of her, Morgan and Pepper pops into her head. Now, this was a little too far. "No." She forces out through clenched teeth. She set her hands back in the table. 

"No?" He asks. 

"That one fucking sucked." She answers. "That doesn't even begin to explain it." 

Fury eyed her hands. "Where's Bucky?" He asked. He was being careful, knowing if she really wanted to, she could rip him in half. 

"At home." She answers, pulling her hands back into my lap. She forgot how it could be perceived as a threat if her hands were visible. 

"Does he know?" Fury asks. He was less wary when her hands were hidden, though he knew her power radiated through her body. 

She forces her gaze away from her hands, looking up at Fury. "Know what?" 

"That you could've saved Tony. It's obvious that you should've been the one to take the gauntlet." Fury answers. 

"What?" She asks. She was specifically told she couldn't. That s wouldn't be able to. 

"You were the most powerful Avenger on that field." 

"I disagree. Thor was the most powerful." My dad, Bruce, Tony, Rhodey...they'd all disagree with what Fury said. She wasn't the most powerful, not even close. She had been the soul og the team. According to Tony and the Infinity Stones, Bruce was most powerful 

"No, Thor was the strongest." Fury corrects her. 

"Bruce." She simply states. 

What was the point of this? To hurt her? Was he trying to get her to lash out? Then it dawned on her. He was trying to break her psychologically. He was trying to get her to lash out. He needed her for something. 

"You're right about Thor, but I was not the most powerful Avenger. Tony did what he had to do; it was nobody's rightful place." He shouldn't have done it, they know that. They all know that. 

Fury nods. "Let's talk about your mom." 

"Let's not." She replies. Fury was pushing it and he knew it. He wanted to see how far he could push her. 

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. Agent Carter, to be exact." Fury continues. 

"Candace Carter." Carissa tells him. 

"So, you know?" He asks. 

"I didn't always. I found out in 2016, right before I went to Queens." She went to Queens to help Peter, but also because she didn't want to face losing Bucky. She also didn't want to face what she'd found out. 

"What lead you to finding out?" Fury asks. 

"She was always there. Sharon. I heard her say Agent Carter back when you had been shot. I forgot about that until my dad kissed her." It all flooded back. She didn't want it to, but it did. Memories of that night as well as her untaken opportunity to save her mom. 

Fury nods. "So, you went digging. What did you find?" 

What did she find? Something she wishes she would've left alone. 

"Sharon and Candace Carter. Half-sisters, both the nieces of Peggy Carter. They didn't speak, despite working in the same building. My dad was looking for Peggy when he found Candace. What was meant to be a fling and forgotten became something more when a baby was added to the mix. They didn't get married; she just took his last name. It carried a lot of respect. She raised her baby as a single mom." 

Fury leans against the table again. "You made things complicated." 

Didn't she always? 

"Beyond." Riss replies. "Sharon didn't know about a baby until I was walking, talking and raising hell. When I started going on missions was when I'd noticed she was around. She lived next door. I didn't realize until two years later, when I saw her again." 

"You're a legacy." Fury says. "Big shoes to fill." 

"You have no idea." She replies. "I got screwed in the parent department." 

Fury hints at a smile. "Your dad is Captain America and your mom was one of my closest agents. You're a distant relative to Peggy Carter, you're with one of the Howling Commandos, you're friends with Spider-Man and you're in Iron Man's will. Impressive for a little girl." 

"What's your point here, Nick?" 

"Didn't you hear? You're in the will." Fury repeats. She didn't know that. What could he have possible left her? 

"I give." She replies. She faked a curious expression. 

"He left you the compound, the tech." Fury tells her. 

Why the hell would Nick care?

"The compound was destroyed." She replies. 

"Blue prints are being drawn up, all they need is your okay and construction will start." Fury tells her. 

"I want the original. The one Tony designed." She says. "With a special design of my choice in one of the walls." Maybe Fury was having a sick day.

Fury nods. "I can arrange that." 

"Can you tell me why I'm here now?" She asks. 

"I told you. You were spoken highly of by six out of six of the original Avengers as well as the add-ons made by Tony." He tells her. 

It didn't answer her question. Fury walks over to her, pulling a key out of his pocket. He unlocked the chains, letting her leg go. "I need your help, but you knew that already." 

She nods. "Figured it out." 

"You always were the smart one. Your friend may have gotten himself into some trouble." Fury starts. 

"What did Sam do now?" Riss asks. 

Fury shakes his head. "Parker." He tells her. Panic sets into Carissa. 

"Is Peter okay?" She asks. She sat up, worried now. Peter was recklessly stupid, which was worse than being stupid. Once upon a time she made the Peter/Steve comparison. 

"He's fine, just gullible." Fury replies. 

"Extremely. What happened?" She asks. 

"Quentin Beck happened." Fury answers. 

"Am I supposed to know what that means?" Riss asks. 

"Have you seen the elemental attacks?" Fury asks her. She shakes her head. 

"No. We don't watch the news in our house, we watch I Love Lucy reruns and That 70's Show. I assume that's what Bucky's doing now." She replies. She could just see him sprawled out on their couch. She wishes she were there with him instead of being stuck here. 

"Cute." Fury says. "Watch this." 

Fury stands, opening a cabinet to reveal a TV. He turns it on, pressing play. A big ass water monster appears on the screen. Carissa see a guy with a green helmet on flying around, who she assumes was the Beck guy Fury had mentioned before. Then she spots Peter. The lack of suit with the party mask over his face was a bit more obvious that if she'd seen his actual face. Sometimes she wonders if he thinks. Recklessly stupid. 

"It's water. It's a water monster." She says. How the fuck is that possible? 

"Yeah. A water monster." Fury confirms. "There are fire ones, too." 

"What the hell is this? How do you even fight that?" Riss asks. 

Fury shrugs. "Quentin Beck isn't from our time." He says. 

"No." Riss replies. That was too much for her. 

"What?" Fury asks. 

"I'm not fucking with time anymore, Nick." She says. 

Fury nods. "You don't have to. Listen. Beck knows where this goes, he's seen it. It destroyed his world, so he came here to help us." 

Carissa makes a face at Fury. "This is the part where Peter's gullibility comes in, I assume. Or is it yours?" Riss knew better that to believe that shit. Changing the past doesn't change the future. 

Who the fuck would believe a story like that? Peter. Peter would. 

Fury rolls his eyes. "Both. He knew exactly what to manipulate to make his story seem true, but I don't know how he did it. I need your help to find out how he did it before something happens to Peter." 

"What do you need me to do?" She asks. 

Fury reaches into his jacket as he replies. "Go to Europe with me. Put all that Tony/Natasha training to use." He says, pulling her suit out and slamming it down onto the table. "First, suit up." He orders. 

Fury slipped out of the room, leaving her alone to change. She started at the suit before she examined the suit more closely, noticing the material wasn't as shiny as it should've been. This wasn't her suit, it was Natasha's. He'd gotten her what she'd asked Pepper for. Her 2012 suit. She held it up, sniffling. She slipped it on, taking note of the holster on the thigh as well as the belt across it. The shoes to the suit had a two-inch chunky heel at the bottom. She left the top inch of the suit unzipped, just as Natasha had. She notices how it clings to her perfectly. She and 2012 Natasha were the same size, apparently. Nodding, Carissa slips out of the room. 

Fury waits across the hall, nodding at her as she walks out. "It suits you." He says, walking down the hallway. 

"Thanks." Riss replies, catching up to him. Maria is waiting at the end of the hall. 

They get to the end of the hallway and Fury takes a sharp left. She's left with Maria. Before they walk away, Fury calls out again. 

"Congratulations, Carissa." He says. She furrows her eyebrows and he motion towards her left hand. 

The simple round diamond sitting on her ring finger shines in the light. She smiles at Fury before walking down the hall with Maria. 

They walk out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. building onto the landing strip. A jet sat in the middle, waiting for them to board. 

The follows Maria, soon joined by Fury. 

"Can I call Bucky?" Riss asks. 

Fury nods at the girl. "No details. Europe, Peter needs help, water monster. No Beck." Fury tells her. She nods. 

As she types the number into her phone, the jet around her turns to dust in front of her very eyes. She screams, not understanding what was happening. 

"Carissa, I've been waiting for you." A voice calls to her. She surrounded my mirrors now, nothing but her own reflection showing. "Or should I say we?" 

Peter's reflection appeared in the mirror she was looking at. 

"Peter!" She yelled, spinning around. She smacked into a mirror, sending her down on her ass as the mirror fell on her. Her hands flew up to catch it, but it never fell on her. When she put her hands down, she sat in a foggy cemetery. She could see the single headstone from where she sat, but she couldn't read it. She didn't want to.

She didn't move from her spot. She panted lightly, looking around her. She was confused. 

The ground under her began to move as the headstone came rushing towards her. The wind blew her hair back, pulling it forward as the headstone stopped abruptly in front of her. 

Margaret Carter. It was Peggy's grave.

"Maybe if you were good enough, your dad never would've left." The voice tells her. A hand lands on her shoulder. She glances up. 

She screams at the figure behind her. Her dad, cheekbones cracked on each side, his suit ripped. He was just bone, staring at her as maggots crawl out of his mouth. 

Carissa picks herself up, backing away from Steve. She bumps into someone else, turning to see Natasha. Her skull was cracked open, black widows inside the hallow space. Carissa scrambles away from her. A scream builds in her throat. She was terrified. 

Another figure appeared as the two drew closer to her. She recognized the suit from where she was, the silver name tag shining. 

Candace. 

Carissa couldn't take it. A bloodcurdling scream left the girl's throat. Her hands lit up red and before she could stop herself, a hurl of red flew towards Natasha. She watched as something exploded in front of her. She had no idea that the fuck that was, but she didn't care. She needed out. 

When she looked back, Natasha was gone. It worked. She closed her eyes, blasting off more. She heard more explosions. She finally opened her eyes to see broken drones. 

She pulled herself up, gasping. She looked around, unsure of where the hell she was. She knew Beck was using illusion tech. 

She knew how to stop him.


	18. Chapter 18

Carissa was panicking. She didn't know where she was. She'd blasted her way through the maze. 

"Stupid bitch." The now familiar voice said. It belonged to Beck; she'd figured out. 

He hit buttons, pulling the drones back up. The illusion illuminated around her again. She shied away from it the best she could, tossing herself around. They were everywhere. 

They stopped suddenly as the doors closed in front of her. She was on a train. She looked around. 

This wasn't New York, she knew that. Man, Fury was going to kill her. The train keeps going, tunnels occasionally. Before one tunnel, the train jolts. 

"What the hell?" The girl wonders out loud. She was in an empty train car until the doors opened. She heard grunts and groans as someone landed a few seats behind her. She felt betrayal enter with the person. She was curious, standing to see if they needed help. Peter laid on the seat in front of her. 

"Parker?" She whispers. His face is cut and bloody as she reaches to stroke his cheek. She hesitates. Was this even real? She wasn't sure what real even meant right now. 

She sat in the chair beside him. He was passed out and it wasn't long before she fell asleep right beside him. 

Peter was snoring loudly in the cell as Carissa laid against his shoulder. His head jolted forward, waking him. He sat up abruptly. He looked around the room at the men by him. He also noticed the girl laying against his chest. He looked down, and orange shirt laying on his chest. He pulled it off, wrapping an arm around Carissa. 

"Where am I?" He asked. Riss stirred. 

"Municipal holding facility." One of the guys answers Peter. 

"They said they found you unconscious in the holding facility." Another told him. "Very dangerous." 

"And we gave you the shirt because you seemed a bit cold. We didn't have one for your girlfriend." A third guy told Peter. 

"Thanks." He said. "You guys are nice. You speak really good English." 

"Welcome to the Netherlands." They all greet him. 

"I'm in the Netherlands right now?" Peter asks. 

"Yep." They confirm. 

Peter shakes Riss lightly. She sits up. Peter jolts out of the chair, pulling the girl along. He groans, his right leg shooting pain through it. 

"Morning, sunshine." Riss greets. 

"Guard!" Peter yells at the cell. 

"Guard is on a break." One of the guys tells the pair. 

"Break it." Riss tells him. 

Peter reaches his hand around, pulling the lock off. The pair walks off. Peter stops suddenly, seeing the guard wearing his mask. 

"Parker." Riss harshly whispers to him. 

"Why are you here?" He asks her. 

"Hi to you, too. I haven't seen you in a while, I've missed you. I heard you needed my help and I dropped everything to show up." Riss replies. 

"Hi." Peter says, not even bothering to look at her. 

She scoffs at him. "Whatever, Parker." 

Peter limps away, asking a man to borrow his phone. He looks down at it before turning to her. He'd typed in Tony's number. Riss pulls the phone from him, putting in Happy's number. 

"Thank you." He whispers to his best friend. She doesn't reply as he lifts the phone to his ear, begging for him to pick up. 

He asks the man where we are. He replies with gibberish to Riss, but Happy gets it. She follows Peter out to a field. It was beautiful and everyone was nice here. Parker was being a dick. The plane lands in the field, Happy walking out. 

"Peter? Are you okay?" He asks. "Carissa?" 

"Happy, is that you?" Peter asks. He'd seen it, too. 

"Yeah, of course, it's me." Happy replies. 

"Stop!" Peter yells. "Tell me something only you would know." 

"Only I would know. Uh...Remember when we went to Germany? You pay per viewed a video in your room? They didn't list titles but I could tell by the price it was an adult film." Happy answers. "And you didn't know how I knew..." 

"Okay, fine! It's you." Peter stopped him. 

"Wait." Carissa says. "I don't-" 

"Come on, Peach. It's me." He says. 

Riss sighs, relieved. She leaves Peter's side, crashing into Happy. He held her close to him as she cried lightly. Peter watches her, unsure of what to do as the realization hit him. She'd seen him, too. 

Peter limps over to Riss, hugging both of them at the same time. The three stood there for a moment. 

"It's so good to see you." Peter said. 

"You two are gonna have to tell me what the hell is going on here." Happy tells them. 

They sat on the plane as Happy stitched Peter up. 

"Okay, hold still. There we go." Happy mumble to himself. 

"Ouch." Peter whines. Riss offers her hand but he shakes her away. She knows he instantly feels bad for being so cold to her. 

"I thought you had super strength." Happy says. 

"It still hurts." Peter replies. "Happy, come on." 

"All right, relax." Happy tells him. "Just a few more. There we go." 

"Oh, my god." Peter exclaims. 

"Parker..." Riss starts. 

"Relax." Happy repeats. 

Peter stands. "Don't tell me to relax, Happy! How can I relax when I messed up so bad? I trusted Beck, right? I thought he was my friend. I gave him the only thing Mr. Stark left for me." Peter admits. Carissa's face contorts with anger at the boy. 

Peter sits, head in his hand. "I'm sorry, Happy. I'm sorry. Carissa. I shouldn't shout." He says as tears form in his eyes. Carissa slides out of the seat, sitting on her knees. "I just really miss him." Peter says. Riss wraps her arms around her best friend, holding him close to her as her own tears began to fall. "And I missed you." He tells her. 

"Yeah, I miss him, too." Happy says. 

Carissa cries softly as Peter rubs her back lightly. 

"Everywhere I go, I see his face." Peter says. Carissa knew how that felt. She, too, had that issue. She saw her dad's face all over New York along with Nat's and Tony's. She was getting the compound rebuilt, dedicating a wall to a mural of the three. When the rest of the original six pass, they will be added. She was proud of who they were and proud she got to know them. 

"The whole world is asking who's gonna be the next Iron Man... And I don't know if that's me, Happy. I'm not Iron Man." 

"You're not Iron Man." Happy states. Riss glances over at him, hoping he had something better than that. "You're never gonna be Iron Man." He continues. Riss's jaw drops. "Nobody could live up to Tony. Not even Tony. Tony was my best friend. He was my Carissa. And he was a mess. He second-guessed everything he did. He was all over the place. The one thing that he did that he didn't second-guess was picking you. I don't think Tony would've done what he did if he didn't know that you were gonna be here after he was gone. Now, your friends are in trouble, you're all alone, your tech is missing. What are you gonna do about it?" Happy asks. 

Peter lets go of Riss, stading up. "I'm gonna kick his ass." Peter replies. 

"That's my boy!" Riss claps. She sits across from Happy. 

"I mean, right now. Specifically, what are we gonna do? We've been hovering over a tulip field for the last fifteen minutes." Happy clarifies. 

"Right. I can't call my friends because he' tracking their phones. Give me your phone." Peter answers, 

"My cell phone?" Happy asks. 

"Yeah." 

"Okay. Here." Happy says, handing it to Peter. 

"What's your password?" Peter asks. 

"Password." Happy says. 

"Yeah, what is it?" Riss asks. 

"Password. The word spelled out." Happy says. 

"Head of security, and your password is password?" Peter asks. 

"I don't feel good about it." Happy replies. 

Peter taps away at Happy's phone, soon getting their location. 

"I need a suit." Peter says. 

"Yeah, you can't kick ass like that." Riss confirms. 

"Suit?" Happy asks. 

Carissa smiles as the door opens in the back. Peter makes his way back there, taking in Tony's tech. Carissa's breath hitches at the sight. 

"Bring up everything you have on Spider-Man." Peter asks the tech. He walks forward, scrolling through. 

Riss looks back at Happy as they watch him. It was like Tony was still here. He picked right. Nobody else could do it like Peter. Happy places a hand on the girl's shoulder. Peter looks up at them. 

"What?" He asks. 

The two shake their heads. 

"Nothing." Happy says. "You take care of the suit; I'll take care of the music." 

Carissa smiles as Back in Black plays through the speaker. 

"Oh, I love Led Zeppelin." Peter says. 

"How do you put up with him?" Happy asks. 

"I learned how to tune him out." She replies. "How's my sunflower?" 

Happy nods. "She's okay. As okay as she can be. How are you, Peach?" 

"I'm fine." She answers. "I'm fine." 

"How's Mr. Barnes?" Happy asks with a suggestive face. 

Carissa raises an eyebrow at Happy. "He's great." 

"The ring's beautiful, Riss. Congratulations." Happy tells her. "They's be happy." 

Riss's smile fades. "Thanks." She replies. Peter looks over at his friend. He hadn't seen her ring, nor has he checked on her. He hadn't asked about Bucky or anything. 

"How's the compound?" Happy asks. 

"You'll see." She replies. "Are you gonna call Fury?" She asks. 

"Oh, right." Happy pulls his phone out as Riss stand to go to Peter. 

"I missed you." He blurted out. They hadn't talked since the funeral. "Thanks for dropping everything to save me." 

"I'll always come save you." She replies. 

"Congrats, Riss." Peter told her, pointing to her hand. 

"You will make the perfect Iron Man, Peter." She tells him. "Would you be interested in moving into the compound? Now under new management." She asks. 

He looks over at her. "It was destroyed." 

"Now under new management." She repeats. 

"He left you the compound?" Peter asks. Riss nods. "Let me think about it." 

"Okay, Fury's got the coded message." Happy announces. "Your friends are at tower bridge." 

Peter turns to Carissa. "Go home." He told her. "Go home to Bucky." 

"I came to help you." She argues. 

Peter turns back to Happy. 

"We're close." Parker repeats from Happy. 

The suit was almost done as Peter pulls a necklace out of his pocket. 

"Before you go, if anything happens to me, could you please give this to MJ?" Peter asks Happy. 

Riss smiles at him. 

"You're gonna make it back, you'll give it to her yourself. You got this." Happy tells him. 

"I got this." Peter says. 

"Walk me through it." Happy tells him. 

"I know it's illusion tech. All I have to do is get on the inside of the illusion, then I can take it down, find him and he's just a guy." Peter says. 

"Just a guy in a fake suit." Riss says.

"Right, but last time you got hit by a train." Happy tells him.

"He was trying to kill you." Riss says. 

"He didn't try to kill you?" Peter asks. Riss shakes her head. 

"I have a sixth sense." Peter tells Happy in regards to the train.

"Spider Sense." Riss says. 

"The Peter-tingle." Happy says. 

"I'm sorry, what?" Riss asks. 

"That's what you're talking about, right?" Happy asks. "It's not working though."

"Your Peter-tingle's broken?" Riss asks. "Do you need a doctor?" She mocks. 

"It is working. I don't know if it's working..." Peter answers.

"Parker." Riss says. 

"You got the Peter-tingle. That's the plan." Happy states. "I'm gonna go get your friends. You get that Peter tingle back online." 

Riss follows after Happy, deciding this was something Peter had to do on his own. He could do this, she knew it. She's always known he could do it. 

She was still wearing the suit from this morning. It was the one thing of the day that was real. Or yesterday, she guessed. She had no idea what day it was anymore. She didn't know what time it was in New York. 

Peter held onto the outside of the plane as Happy drove to the illusion Beck had made. 

"Peter, you sure that's not real?" Happy asks. 

"It just looks real." Riss tells him. "It all looks so real." 

"It's just 100 times bigger than I expected." Peter admits. 

"He has a queen to impress." Riss replies. 

"We need to get high enough so Beck doesn't see me coming." Peter tells Happy.

"Copy. Stay sticky." Happy replies. 

"Hey, Happy?" Peter asks as the plane goes up. 

"Yeah, kid?" Happy replies. 

"We need to have a serious talk about you and my aunt!" Peter says as he no longer sticks to the plane. 

"You're in trouble." Riss teases. 

"You didn't tell him you were engaged. I'll just remind him of that." Happy shot back. 

Riss and Happy carry on, Riss playing with an earpiece. 

"Fury?" She asks. She waits. 

"Rogers?" Fury replies. 

"Surprise." The girl replies.

"Where the hell have you been?" He asks. 

"It's a long story. We're getting Parker's friends." Riss tells him.

"Copy. It feels good to answer the earpiece with 'Rogers'." Fury tells her.

"It's good to hear it, Nick." She replies. 

Riss put all of her faith on Peter. Happy watches Flash's live, finding them. Happy lands and they rush out. 

"Ned!" Happy yells. 

"Happy!" Ned excitedly exclaims. "Carissa?" 

"Ned." She replies, nodding. 

"I gotta get you out of here." Happy says. "Get on the jet." 

"Who are you guys?" A girl asks. 

"I work with Spider-Man. Get on the jet." Happy replies. 

"I'm an Avenger. Get the fuck on the jet." Riss says. Now wasn't the time for stupid questions. 

"You work for Spider-Man?" Flash asks. 

"I work with Spider-Man, not for Spider-Man." Happy clarifies. 

"Happy, jet, kids, fucking now." Riss snaps. 

The jet blows up behind them as she finishes her sentence. 

"For fuck's sake." The girl mumbles. Her hand reaches the earpiece. "Jet was blown, new plan." She tells Fury. 

"Take the kids-" He begins but she stops him. 

"No, my rodeo now, thanks, Nick." She replies. 

"Into the tower." Happy says. He turns to Riss. 

"Go, go." She orders. 

They rush into the tower, being chased by drones. Riss stops, lighting her hands up and throwing them. 

"Who's she?" MJ asks. 

"She's the daughter of Captain America." Ned whispers. 

Carissa turns around. "I'm Carissa, you must be MJ." She smiles slightly before rushing them off. "Vault, now." She orders. 

"Go!" Happy yells. "Take cover!" 

Carissa lifts her hands again, spreading them to make a shield of red. She held it for as long as she could before she ducked behind the casing with the rest. 

"Too much." She told Happy. The panic of everyone around her was filling her up like a water balloon. "You guys need to relax." She says. 

"Relax?" Happy asks. 

She nods. The drone makes its way down the aisle. Carissa tries to spark up, but she can't. MJ grabs the mace that's by her. The other two knock down a body of armor to create a distraction. MJ takes her chance. 

"Nice." Riss whispers. 

"Your powers are cool, too." MJ replies. 

"Thanks." 

"Everyone move." Happy says, grabbing a shield from another suit of armor. The drone frantically spirals as it shoots. Happy throws the shield as Flash shuts one door. Happy grabs the other. 

"How does Cap do that?" Happy asks. 

"Super Soldier serum." Riss replies. "And dad's was a hell of a lot lighter." 

The drone cut at the vault door. 

"Carissa..." Happy calls.

"I know, Happy. I'm trying." She replies. 

"So, what do you do?" Flash asks.

"I light up, I break shit and I read minds." She answers. "I'm engaged and you're underage, stop thinking of me on my knees." She tells him. MJ laughs at Flash's reddened face. 

Riss tries to flash the red between her hands. She grows frustrated, wishing it would just fucking cooperate. Now was not the time to be stubborn. 

The drones beat on the door more.

"Are we gonna die?" Ned asks.

"Nobody dies on my watch." Happy replies. 

"I've wasted my life playing video games and we're gonna die." Ned says. 

"I have a fake ID and I've never used it." The blonde admits. 

"I post stupid videos daily for people to like me." Flash says. 

"Hey, if it wasn't for those stupid videos, Spider-Man would've never found you." Happy tells him. 

"Spider-Man follows me? I saved us, guys." Flash says. 

"No, we saved you." Riss corrects. 

"If you saved us, why are we about to die?" MJ asks. 

"I'm working on it!" Riss replies. 

"MJ, stop it!" The blonde exclaims. 

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm obsessed with telling the truth even if it hurts other people's feelings." MJ admits. Were they all sharing?

"I'm in love with Spider-Man's aunt." Happy admits. "we're sharing, right?" 

Riss drops her hands. "In that case, I lost my virginity to a 100 year old man. I'm now engaged to him." She says. 

"You win." MJ tells her. 

Riss sparks at her hands again. Nothing happens. She thought of how Bucky was probably at home, sprawled out in their bed, asleep. Or maybe he was draped over the couch, shipping Hyde and Jackie. She missed him. 

Res took over her hands. She smile, lifting her hands to her face. "Happy!" She calls. 

He sees her hands glowing red. He sighs, relived. Just as she gets it, they back off. 

"You're fucking joking." She mumbled. 

Peter had done it. The boy had saved them all. Tony would've been proud of him. 

The vault was opened, them all tumbling out. Riss stood by Happy. 

"We gonna go get our boy?" She asks. 

"Just a second." He tells her. She smiles. It was necklace and MJ time. Riss walks out, parting ways with Happy. She watches as Peter gets his kiss with MJ. She notices Fury with Happy. 

"I guess the coded message worked." She heard Happy say.

"Appearances can be deceiving. I'm surprised you didn't just wink in the camera." Nick replies. 

"He was tempted." Riss says. Fury faces the girl, followed by Maria. 

"It worked." Happy said. 

"Because I had serious doubts about Beck from the beginning." Nick replies. 

"Not true." Maria sells him out. "He had zero doubts." 

"Where's Parker?" Fury asks. 

"He's with a girl." Happy answers. 

"I need to speak with him." Fury says. 

"He'll call you." Happy replies. 

"He'll call?" Fury asks. He turns to Maria, laughing. "Okay. Great. Well, he better. Or it's your ass. And don't even think about ghosting me." Fury tells Happy. 

"Nick?" Riss asks. "Walk with me." 

Fury turns to her, eyebrow raised. "Are the kids in control now?" He asks, joining her anyway. 

"I had a Beck run in." Riss explains. "The morning after you called me. He told me I could've changed the outcome of what'd happened and this other shit but something else stuck with me." 

"Which was?" Fury asks. 

"He knew about Candace." She answers. "He knew I wanted Nat's suit and he brought it. I'm wearing it, Nick. He knew about the compound being left for me, which was the first thing That seemed off. He'd asked about blueprint plans like you'd care."

"How?" Fury asks. "You were ever a target." 

Riss looks over at Fury. "I have the compound and the tech." She explains. 

She was also put down as Morgan's legal Godmother.


	19. Chapter 19

The conversation Riss had with Nick Fury didn't matter in the end, Beck was dead. When she got back to New York, the compound was finished. She was impressed to see it done. She was more impressed to see a full master bedroom with her's and Bucky's furniture. She tossed her phone onto the bed as a set of hands wrapped around her waist. 

"You're home." Bucky whispered. 

"I told you it would only take a few days." She replies, spinning to face him. 

"New suit?" He asks. 

"It was Nat's." Riss replies. She smiles up at her boyfriend- fiancée. 

"How's Peter?" 

"He's struggling, but he'll manage. I have faith in him." She answers. 

"And how are you?" He asks.

"I'm struggling, but I'll be fine." She answers him honestly. 

"I have faith in you." He tells her. 

She smiles. "Can we go see Morgan tonight?" Riss asks. 

"Of course." Bucky replies. "One episode of That 70's Show?" He asked. 

"You're addicted." She tells him. 

The pair find themselves sitting at the table with Morgan and Pepper than night. Riss had just received a text from Harley telling her he was on his way. 

Riss smiles at the girl as she flips the burgers on the grill. A car pulls up in the drive way. 

"There he is now." She tells the small girl. Bucky walks over to Riss, handing her a beer. 

"Thank you, darling." She smiles at him. 

"Hey." Harley says, walking over to Riss. She turns to face him as he pulls her into a hug, kissing her cheek. 

"Hi." She replies. Harley and Bucky greet each other before he makes his way over to Pepper, kissing her cheek the way he had Carissa's. 

The TV channel changed suddenly, catching Carissa's attention. 

This is breaking news. 

We come to you now with revelations of last weeks attack in London. An anonymous source provided this video. It show Quenten Beck, a.k.a Mysterio, moments before his death. 

"What the hell?" Riss asks, leaving the grill. Harley takes over for her, but his eyes never leave the TV either. He knew Riss had been there. 

Warning: You may find this video disturbing. 

Quenten's face popped up on the screen. "I managed to send the Elemental back to their dimension but I don't think I'm going to make it off this bridge alive. Spider-Man attacked me for some reason with the help of Captain America's daughter. They have an army of weaponized drones. Stark technology. He's saying he's the only one who's gonna be the new Iron Man, no one else." It skips to a new clip, including Peter's shoes and voice. 

Are you sure you want to commence the drone attack? There will be significant casualties. EDITH asks 'Peter'.

Peter's voice replies. "Just do it. Execute them all." There are shots fired in the background. 

The shocking video was released earlier today on a controversial news network. 

Carissa couldn't listen anymore. She just couldn't. Their names were being dragged through the mud. 

But that's not all, folks. Brace yourself for the real blockbuster, you might want to sit down.

Beck came back on the screen. "Spider-Man's real- Spider-Mam's real name-"

"No." Riss whispers to the TV, covering her mouth. 

"Spider-Man's name is Peter Parker." Beck choked out. A picture of Peter flashed across the screen. 

"What the fuck!" Riss yelled. 

But that wasn't all! Parker's partner; Carissa Rogers. 

The picture of the girl was plastered on the screen in front of her. Riss's shoulders dropped. She wasn't sure what she was more pissed about, her being dragged or the picture's quality being absolutely butchered. 

"Pepper..." She calls. 

Pepper was already dialing numbers. This was why Riss and Bucky didn't watch the news. There was no way this was happening. Morgan stood up, running over to Carissa. She holds onto Riss's leg as Carissa continues to panic. 

The emotion engulfs her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed :)


End file.
